


Fuck Me Without Ceremony

by MaggieMarr



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Anal Sex, Assassination Plot(s), Eventual Romance, F/M, Fingering, Gore, M/M, Mild S&M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Multiple Partners, Porn With Plot, Sex, Shameless Smut, Slavery, chains and shit, lots of swearing, sex and stuff, slow romantic build, yeah sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 21:32:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1111753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggieMarr/pseuds/MaggieMarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi escaped his life as a fighting slave and now lives as a whore, serving a Mistress known to him as, 'The Madame.' One night he is tasked with serving a wealthy Master outside the four walls of his sex house.<br/>At a mansion, for a perverse and strange ritual, he is tasked with fucking another young slave, Eren, and the events that follow force Levi to steal the boy away into the night, and hide him in his room. Levi and the Eren's lives are now intertwined, wether they like it or not, and their mutual safety relies on keeping Eren hidden, a task that proves to be more difficult and dangerous than either of them could have anticipated.<br/>In a world of banned magic, where dangerous people are preparing for an uprising against the equally dangerous slave-masters, Levi needs to figure out what he stands for. Or whom.  </p><p>(Basically this fic is whore!Levi and slave!eren. Levi rescues Eren from his crazy master and hides him away in his whore house. There's an Armin/Eren/Levi love triangle. Porn with lots of plot.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ceremony

The building he was lead to was decadent, on the inside of course. Levi had been blindfolded during the carriage ride there so he hadn't a clue what the outside of the place looked like. It was most likely a wealthy mansion settled happily in the wealthy are of the city. A conclusion he'd come to largely by observing the velvet drapes and expensive-quality tapestries, which helped add lustre to the ancient looking stone walls.  
The tall handsome one, who had introduced himself as 'Erwin' lead him down several winding narrow corridors, which now and again turned sharply, before they came to a stop at a large brass door. Levi allowed himself a brief moment to acknowledge a bout of nerves he was experiencing, before he exhaled heavily, dismissing them. Erwin raised a calloused knuckle and rapped smartly on the door, which swung open barely a moment later.  
The room beyond was dimly lit, and Levi trailed inside behind Erwin, trying not to let the atmosphere of this place get to him. Torches were lit on the heads of carved stone gargoyles which circled the ceiling of the circular room. The floor was a smooth black slate, elegant white painted lines crisscrossing along it in what levi assumed was some kind of expression of modern art. Around the edges stood figures, dressed in black silk fabrics, faces hidden by hoods. A chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, which made the centre of the room brighter than the rest, and in the centre of that light lay a boy, who seemed to be sleeping. Levi couldn't make out much of him, the room being too large, and the boy was too far away, but he could see the boy's hands were cuffed to long thick chains bolted to the floor, his own silken robe loosely tied, sliding open slightly to reveal an expanse of his chest and legs. The tall handsome Erwin was watching him, Levi noticed after he finished taking in his surroundings, but when Levi caught his gaze he turned away, and gestured lazily for Levi follow him to the centre of the room, towards the boy. An uncomfortable ache started building in his stomach while he watched the man bend down to lightly tap the boy's cheek and cooed softly at him to wake up. The boy had a rounded face, and lithe build, he was pretty. And when his groggy eyes flitted open, Levi sucked in a small, sharp breath. His beautiful blue-green eyes glanced between Levi and Erwin, brimming with sleepy confusion.  
"Master." He mumbled, voice cracking, as he stared up at Erwin. Erwin breathed out his nose in what seemed to be a small laugh.  
"Wake up Eren." He smiled, “we have a guest.“ His pleasant expression made Levi suppress a shiver, finding his disposition unnerving and false. The boy didn't seem to share Levi's discomfort, as his own youthful face lit up in a return smile. This one genuine, and suited the boy's - Eren's - features well. Erwin turned to Levi, eyes shining, and Levi knew that he wasn't going to enjoy what his new employer was about to ask him.

The boy struggled against the chains, a look of wild, unbridled fury in those green eyes. Levi suppressed the urge to roll his own eyes and tell the boy to stop directing his rage at him, and look to his master, who was the one making all this shit happen. Levi crawled slowly towards him, and the boy stilled. Levi took this as an opportunity to crawl over and position himself above him. He reached out a hand to caress the boy's face softly, about to whisper words of comfort, when the boys knees snapped upwards, impacting into Levi’s stomach. Levi fell backwards, coughing, and the boy caught his head between his thighs as he tried to retreat. The boy was squeezing hard, and Levi had to admit it felt like a fucking elephant was crushing his brain, but the boy's junk was hanging out of his flimsy robe, right by Levi's damn face, and it was easy to snake his hand around and grab his dick in a death grip, very similar to the grip Eren had on his head. The boy cried out and released him, kicking so wildly that Levi nearly got a blow to his face. He managed to grab his legs, and force them to the ground, perching himself quickly upon them, holding them in place with his body weight. The angry look was back in the boy's eyes as he glowered up at levi. Levi turned his own glare towards Erwin, who'd joined the hooded figures in the circle around them. They'd all wandered much closer since Levi was told to fuck the boy, and Levi suppressed the jolt of fear at how he'd not noticed them shifting nearer. Erwin was close enough that Levi could see the exited gleam in his eyes, a smile stretching his lips unnaturally as he watched the struggling boy beneath him.  
Anger bubbled in Levi's chest, and he found it suddenly too hard to keep his tongue in check.  
"If you're so exited about this, why aren't you the one fucking him?" He said pointedly to Erwin, who didn't even glance at him. Keeping his creepy gaze on the kid. Fuck Levi had forgotten his name again.  
After a brief silence that had Levi wondering whether he'd heard him, he added an awkward, "Sir." He was still a slave, he should act like one.  
Erwin did shift his gaze to Levi then, or acknowledge his impertinence and Levi failed to stop the shudder that ran over his body. Erwin's eyes gleamed maniacally as he responded.  
"Eren and I are good friends. He is a very well mannered, hardworking slave. I couldn't do that to him." He spoke softly, but his words were carried and echoed loudly around the circular room. When Erwin returned his eyes back to the boy, who was staring at the chandelier above him, eyes shining with what Levi hoped weren't tears, Levi didn't believe a word of it. Erwin desired that boy just as much as Levi desired to be free. And a slave? What kind of slave got to wear silk? His hands absently took bunches of the smooth fabric between his fingers, letting them dance over it, allowing himself the brief distraction before-  
"Get on with it." One of the hooded figures spoke, her voice curt, and Levi shifted his gaze guiltily to the boy, who refused to look back at him.  
Sorry kid. I got no choice. I don't want to die. I'm not free, neither are you.  
Levi noticed he’d subconsciously balled his hands into fists in the boy’s robes. He took several calming breaths in and out of his nose, reminding himself that if he disobeyed another client, the Madame had promised to kill him and have his corpse sold to perverts that liked to fuck dead things. It was only out of luck that Levi had managed to successfully beg his life last time. He didn’t want to end up like Marco.  
He unclenched his fists, and shifted forward, reaching out to once again cup the boy’s cheek. As he shifted his weight off his thighs he half expected the boy to start struggling again, but he didn’t.  
Perhaps the fight had gone out of him. Perhaps he’d finally realised his beloved master was a dirty pervert. Or perhaps he'd realised that struggling would only make this harder for the both of them.  
Anger bubbled in his chest again and he decided that he’d at least be as gentle with him as his brash personality could bear.  
Leaning over he kept his body hovering just above the boy, bringing his head down towards his ear he let his lips brush against the shell of it as he spoke, softly so that only he would hear.  
“Don’t look so sad kid. I don’t want to be doing this either.” He murmured, bringing his hands up to rub soothing circles on the boy’s sides through the silk.  
The boy shifted to look at him, brushing their noses together, and he tried his best to make his sharp features look soft and gentle.  
They shared a look that seemed to communicate the mutual feeling of being trapped. Levi hoped his face was apologetic. He didn't want to hurt anyone. “Sorry your master’s a piece of shit.” Levi said quietly, bringing his hands to the centre of the kids chest, and slipping them slowly under the robes, to continue the soft motions beneath the fabric.  
The boy sighed, but said nothing, looking at Levi briefly with a look that he couldn't decipher. Levi felt his pulse rapidly increasing. 'Don't look at me like that please'. He thought.   
"Not with those eyes." He said, accidentally aloud, and he got a mildly confused look in response. Levi did his best to shut out the increase of his heart rate, and he stifled the excited hitch in his breath as he ignored how smooth, firm, warm and wonderful the kid’s skin felt beneath his hands. Everything feeling was dirtied by his slavery, but somehow his mind had overcome his circumstances into enjoying some of his sexual situations, no matter how depraved. This boy was new to it, and would never understand.   
The boy squirmed a little, but out of ticklishness and not because he was still trying to fight. Levi hoped he could make them both more comfortable. Levi lifted the corners of his lips into what he hoped looked like a soft and comforting smile, and shifted his hands further up the kids chest, looking for a less ticklish spot.  
“Let’s give these perverts a show, shall we?” He said, hoping to elicit a reaction from the boy other than anger or sadness, and he nearly laughed aloud at the shocked widening of Eren's already huge eyes. Levi definitely did not find it cute, and he also definitely didn’t kiss the tip of the kid’s nose as an immediate reaction to said cuteness. What was wrong with him? The boy’s body was tensed, but his eyes softened slightly at his gesture, which was unexpected but definitely a good thing, so Levi brushed his lips against his little nose again. Levi buried his face in the crook of the young slave’s neck, letting his hands wander to further explore his chest. Testing the waters, he licked a stripe up his neck and chuckled at the shudder that shook the boy’s body. Personally wanting to shut out their revolting audience, he kissed him softly on his cheek, and the small shy gasping noise the kid made spurred him in to believing he was reacting rather positively to his touches. He began nuzzling into the boy’s ear and leaving feather light kisses around it, mumbling nonsense about the boy’s sweetness, which he decided to consciously forget about saying later. Levi was sure nobody had touched him like this before, from the way he shivered beneath his fingers. With his gentle touches the boy began to relax beneath him, and every time he felt him tense, he kissed the tip of his nose again and reminded him quietly to forget about everyone else and just pretend it was the two of them. Something that was made futile when there was a clearing of a throat from within the circle of observers, and an order to pick up the pace and ‘stop coddling the slave.’  
Levi bit back a growl of frustration, feeling himself perfectly content to continue kissing the boy on the nose all night. He glanced at the younger slave, who was once again, tense, his eyes wide with fear. Great.  
He leant forward, this time lowering himself so that their chests brushed together, and kissed him quickly on the lips.  
“Just me, remember.” He murmured, silently praying that the boy wouldn't start crying. He felt like he was one tear drop away from bolting out of the room and to his own untimely death, and the death of the boy. Which would be a fucking stupid thing to do, to save a boy he barely knew from something his master would have someone else to do in his stead. Levi growled low in his throat at the thought. The boy jolted beneath him and he quickly softened the scowl that had formed on his face, trying to ignore the foreign feeling of possessiveness thrumming through his veins. He'd do this instead of someone who might actually enjoy doing this fucked up shit, Levi told himself, as he pointedly ignored his own forming attraction to him. He shifted back a little, reaching into his pockets for a small bottle of oil. He then shuffled the boy backwards till he was sitting upright. He moved around the boy and sat himself behind him, pulling him back to lie against his chest, his legs cradled either side of the kid's. He reached down and parted the silks of the boy's robes, mumbling apologies to the both of them into his soft hair as he slicked oil over the his entrance. The boy kept quiet as he worked, teasing his entrance with his oiled fingers, and running his free hand up and down the soft skin of his parted thighs. The boy slowly began to relax again, leaning more of his weight against Levi's chest, his breaths coming out slower. Levi felt that they had a sense of trust between them, perhaps caused by the difficulties of their circumstances. Eren squirmed a little when Levi inserted a finger in his entrace, but after Levi kissed his hair and reminded him to relax he did so.  
He was pointedly ignoring the brimming impatience of their audience, determined to take things as slowly as he could get away with, for the boy’s sake, and for his own.  
Just as Levi was about to insert a second finger the boy suddenly lifted himself off Levi's hand, scooting himself backwards so he was resting higher against Levi's chest, turning his face to look at Levi's for comfort, his nose pressing into Levi's cheek. Not wanting to look at the boy and see whatever emotions were visibly brimming in his eyes, Levi's hand found the boy's entrance again, and he quickly inserted two fingers, feeling the boy's soft lips brush against his cheek as they parted in a silent gasp, Levi was about to remind him to relax again, but he sighed and did so without his mention.  
Levi began thrusting his fingers inside the boy, his other hand wandering over his soft skin, dancing teasingly over his beautiful thighs. The boy was leaning heavily against him, and Levi started to curl his fingers a little with each thrust, searching.  
"What's your name?" The boy wondered quietly, and Levi took a moment to answer, a little distracted.  
“Levi.” He said, hoping he was imagining the husk in his voice. He curled his fingers a little more. “Yours?” He asked after a while.  
“Eren.” The boy whispered back. Eren.  
“That’s a nice name.” Said Levi, and then cringed at his uninspired response.  
Eren didn’t seem to mind. “Thank you.” He said. And Levi couldn't have asked for a more awkward introduction. He curled his finger’s deeply, hiding his sigh of relief when Eren arched in his arms, a quiet “oh” slipping from his lips. 'Yes', thought Levi. ‘oh.’ He began shifting his other hand closer towards the boy’s cock, drawing teasingly near it, and then trailing away again with feather light touches that made the boy squirm a little in his arms. Finally he brought his hand over it, noting that it was half mast, and as he curled his fingers inside the boy again it twitched and began to swell more, the boy moaning softly. He dragged his fingers over Eren’s cock before he took it in a firm grip, stroking him in time with the languid thrusts of his fingers.  
"You alright?" Levi whispered, so the audience couldn't hear, and he felt a nod. Eren’s quiet moans turned into louder gasping breaths as his hips began to stutter shyly along with Levi's ministrations, urging him to pick up the pace, as his cock swelled to it's full hardness. The boys back was arching as he stroked him, his hips shifting about, mouth falling open and gasps turning into moans and pants as his pleasure overcame his shyness and he started thrusting openly, trying to get more friction. Levi bit his bottom lip to stifle a moan of his own as the boy began openly trying to fuck himself on Levi’s hands, making a loud whining noises between harsh breaths. He tightened his grip, fist moving faster, occasionally running his thumb over the slit at the tip of his cock, smudging the precum beading there down the shaft of the boy’s cock as he did so. The boy was roughly fucking his fingers now, accidentally knocking his head back against levi’s face in his enthusiasm, making his nose sting uncomfortably and Levi was about to reprimand him about it when the boys panting and wailing rose to a crescendo and his body convulsed in Levi's arms, shuddering as he came wet and warm over Levi’s hand.  
His body shook as he lay back down against his chest, groaning quietly when Levi removed his fingers. Levi allowed Eren to lie on him for a moment as he tried to catch his breath, before he lay Eren back against the hard marble and stood to discard his clothes. Now naked, he crawled atop him, kissing Eren's nose and cheeks and praising him. The boy managed a weak smile, and Levi felt a strange mixture of sickness, shame and fondness. He kissed the boy’s lips, and reached back for the bottle of oil he’d discarded earlier. Now that Eren had come, his muscles were relaxed, his expression was a little hazy as he watched Levi position himself above Eren’s hips, re-oil his fingers and begin to tease his own entrance. Levi closed his eyes but could feel Eren’s gaze upon him as he entered a slick finger within himself, biting his bottom lip as he quickly joined it with a second. As a whore he didn't actually need to stretch himself, he made sure to prepare himself well before each client, but it wouldn't hurt to kill a little time to allow Eren to recover before the final act. He let his free hand wander down to Eren’s navel, trailing lazy patters upward his flat chest to find the bud of a nipple, which he pinched, smiling a little at the hissing noise he heard Eren elicit. Levi opened his eyes and actually let out a gasp. Eren was gazing up at him with lidded eyes, his full lips were slightly parted as he emitted short puffs of air. His chest rising and falling and shuddering slightly with each breath, and his cock was flush, full and pink and wet. The way he was staring at him made him feel torn between covering himself up and moaning. What surprised Levi the most, was the fact that the kid was hard again. But he supposed the Eren was young, and youth came hand in hand with virility.  
On that thought, he didn't actually know his age. A feeling akin to worry wormed it's way into Levi's chest and Eren cocked his head to the side, eyes flickering with a sudden uncertainty, and Levi realised he was frowning. -an expression which on his face, always looked rather severe. -He quickly smoothed his expression again, and debated with himself whether or not to ask Eren his age. If he asked his age and it was…very young, he wouldn’t be able to sit comfortably in his skin after this. But if he didn’t ask his age…  
Eren had a young face, cheeks still full with retained baby fat, his large eyes wide with innocent straight forward emotions.. But his body was lithe and muscular. Mature looking. Those contrasting features made his age hard to guess. He could be anything between 15 and...maybe 17, Levi decided.  
“How old are you Eren?” The question was out of him in a rush and he had the urge to squeeze his eyes shut afterwards, as a tension set in his shoulders.  
Eren cleared his throat. “Eighteen.” He said quietly, and levi let out a loud sigh of relief, shoulder’s relaxing.

“Good.” Said levi, pulling out his fingers.


	2. The Ceremony part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie this entire chapter is a sex scene

Levi straddled the boy, lowering himself slowly onto his cock and watching his reactions in mild interest as the boy's pink mouth opened and closed, emitting silent exclamations made incomprehensible by the fact he kept biting his lips in an attempt to stifle them. Levi settled himself all the way to the hilt, enjoying the thick warmth inside of him that pulsed in time with Eren's rapid heart beat, and the way Eren scrunched up his nose and eyes as he experienced the new sensation of filling someone. Remaining all the way to the hilt he began to roll his hips slowly in circles, wondering if the boy would finish in the few next short minutes, because his face was growing steadily redder, sweat beginning to dot his forehead and he looked rather overwhelmed. Levi leaned forward, continuing rolling his hips down on Eren's cock in small circles, to breathe against the skin of the boy's tan neck and feeling silently furious that he couldn't quite reach his ear to whisper without craning a little. "Going to come already, Eren?" He teased, before lightly nipping at the boy's flushing skin, hearing a satisfying yelp of fright from the boy, and feeling the twitch of his cock inside of him as it swelled a little more.  
"Nnnnnnnnn!" Was the high pitched whining response that made Levi grin, teeth against the boy's neck. Levi let his body lie flush against Eren's, liking the feel of his chest sliding against the boy's smoother - slightly slicker one, and unashamedly adjusting his movements so that his cock rubbed against the boy's abdomen.  
"What was that?"  
"Nnnno. Ha - hah. No. Won't." Eren was shaking his head eyes squeezed into slits, a cute crease appearing between his eyebrows, his face bright pink now, hair beginning to matt with sweat. If Levi was in any other situation he would have immediately started trying to sanitise the boy.  
Levi leaned back suddenly, putting both his hands to splay open on Eren's smooth chest. He looked down at him with an expression of disbelief.  
"Is that so?" He asked before using his thighs to suddenly lift himself up, till only the tip of Eren's cock was inside of him and without warning slamming himself quickly back down again. Eren's previously nearly closed eyes widened impossibly and he arched his back, pink lips parting to let out a shocked little cry as Levi's actions increased the friction around his cock.  
Levi felt a little bit of sick joy at his reaction, and had to suppress a weird and unanticipated urge to bark out mirthless laughter as he lifted himself up and slammed down again and again, having to close his eyes when the wide-eyed expression on Eren's face became too much for him to take. Ears drinking in the cries and moans of the boy, and feeling sick with himself at how his body reacted to the noises, with a lust he didn't think he was capable of he let his instincts take over, breathing heavily out his nose as he fought against how good it felt to fuck himself on the kid, and the creeping sensation that he could probably come without even touching himself just from riding the boy. The chains rattled, and Levi felt an iron grip on his thighs. He cracked one eye open to peer at Eren, who was staring down, watching his own cock disappear and re-appear inside Levi, over and over, a red flush now spread to his chest, his expression almost contemplative.  
He swatted at Eren's hands when the grip became painful, gritting his teeth and scowling in annoyance when it didn't relent, stilling his movements completely to just glare at the boy, who took a moment to realise what was going on, blinking up at Levi in confusion as to why the nice friction had stopped. There was movement in the corner of Levi's eye, and he snapped his head to the side to watch one of the hooded figures approaching them from the circle, his attention completely drawn away from the boy beneath and inside him. The hooded figure stopped and knelt at the floor close to Eren's head, appearing to stare at the point where the chains disappeared through the bolt into the smooth slate floor. The figure raised an arm and his loose sleeves fell back a little to reveal a silk-gloved hand. He clicked his fingers, the sound sharp and piercing somehow despite the fabric over his hands, and suddenly Eren yelped as his arms were jolted backwards sharply, the chains shortening as they disappeared seemingly on their own further into the floor. The figure stood and retreated back to the circle without word, and Levi stared after it for a moment before returning his attention to Eren, whose arms were pulled backwards behind his head against the floor by the shortened chains. The atmosphere had been killed a little by that little reminder that they were being watched. Levi had almost, almost been able to forget the presence of their charming spectators. "Continue." One of them said sharply, ruining any chance Levi might have had to salvage the mood. Levi shut his eyes again, arching himself back as he resumed his pace from earlier, resisting the urge to touch himself to re-harden his own slightly softened length. It wasn't long though, before Levi had absolutely no need to do so, the figures around them in a circle barely a background nuisance as he fucked himself on Eren's leaking hardness, gritting his teeth to trap the real moans and sighs that threatened to escape his mouth, easily focussing on the feel of the whimpering boy inside of him. Eren's hips jolted upwards suddenly, and Levi growled, as the boy started trying to match his rhythm, but only succeeded in unsettling the both of them. The hooded figures were humming softly, Levi realised, and he wondered how long they'd been doing that for. The sound of skin slapping against skin, and soft moans mixed in the air with their airy tune, the combination making the hairs on Levi's arms stand up as he placed his hands on the jut of Eren's hip bones, trying to keep them still. Levi was never usually in control during sex, his usual patrons preferring to dominate and use his body as a complete object, so he couldn't deny that having the roles reversed, even if it were only partially, gave him a rush that was enough for him to curse out "shit," and for his cock to start throbbing in a way that alarmed him, his mind and body exited with the sudden power he had to dictate his own pleasure.  
Focusisng on his breathing, he bounced himself on Eren's cock, keeping his eyes squeezed shut in favour of looking at the expression of shocked lust on Eren's face. He could still hear the boy panting, closing his eyes couldn't block that out, nor could closing his eyes block out the shame welling inside of him as he thoroughly enjoyed the boy. Torn between being thrilled and mortified, at both the situation they were in, and himself and how much he wanted Eren despite it all, his mind was an argument between confusion and pleasure, a whirlwind he couldn't make sense of. He could hear Eren whine occasionally, as he attempted weakly to move his hips to the same rhythm as levi's. But inexperience was obvious and Levi growled again, pushing down harder at Eren's hips, muttering  
"Still. Keep Still." Between harsh breaths. "Let. me. do...it." Eren only shuddered in response, lips parting to release a loud moan as Levi increased the pace.  
Levi leaned back a lot, his back curving sharply, bracing his position by putting one of his hands behind him to grip at Eren's thigh. He lifted his head and opened his eyes to gaze at the chandelier above him, letting the bright lights from it leave white blind spots in his eyes. That was when things went out of his control. The angle made Eren's cock brush against his prostate, and Eren cried out wildly as Levi involuntarily clenched around him, chains rattling as he strained against them, whimpering as he thrust his hips blindly upwards, Levi gasping at the sudden roughness of his movements. Eren strained more desperately at his chains then there was a cracking sound, and one of his hands were free, his thumb sticking inwards at a wrong angle. One arm was quickly joined by the second, and Levi felt a moment of panic before they wrapped around him, engulfing him in a sweaty embrace. Hands that were steaming slightly wandered up and down Levi's body, too fast, and too desperate to be pleasurable, but they made Levi moan nonetheless. Popping noises signalled bones slipping back into their rightful places, and the part of Levi's brain that wasn't clouded with lust started yelling nonsense about witchcraft. Levi tried to voice questions, but then there was an eager tongue lapping at his neck, hands curling in his hair and around his waist, and suddenly his body was being flipped over and thrusted into eagerly in a way that made him cry out embarrassingly and curl his toes as he wrapped his legs tightly around the boy. Eren was panting roughly, fucking him with a fervour of a wild animal, in a way that meant Levi could only whimper and moan and let him have his way. His cock was aching from neglect, it was too hot, Eren's eyes were dark, hooded, his mouth open, his lips looked so full and delicious, Levi felt his mouth going dry just looking at them. He wrapped his arms around Eren's neck and brought him down into a desperate kiss, all tongues and messy open mouthed wetness because Eren didn't know what he was doing and Levi had lost his ability to care because kissing Eren was warm, comforting, and it brought their bodies closer together, trapping his cock between them and giving it some much desired friction. Levi grunted into the kiss pulling away to pant in Eren's ear. He needed this to slow down, he was embarrassingly close, and he didn't know if Eren was close too, he couldn't tell because all he could focus on was the coil of heat building in his lower stomach.  
"Ere- ngh, hah, Eren!" levi's voice was coming out broken, and embarrassingly high. This wasn't supposed to happen, how did the brat get free? When did his thrusts become coherent and perfect and -  
'Pl- Please, Ere-Slow dnngh uh." His vision was beginning to fog, the noise of Eren's desperate keening buzzing in his ears and making him light headed.  
"Eren!" He shuddered, "I'm gonna- Ah! Eren! I'm - I'm going to-" His voice rose alarmingly in volume as he hit his orgasm, which wrenched from him a strangled version of Eren's name. He shuddered trying to breathe properly, legs and body feeling numb as Eren's thrusting sped to an insane pace, his voice slipping higher and higher as Eren desperately tried to follow Levi to finish.  
"Levi!" Eren cried between loud whimpers and wordless shouts. "L-levi - AH!" He rocked his hips, Levi sobbing a little as the squelching noises he'd previously tried to ignore reached his ears, and the sight of Eren's precum leaking out of him unnerved him every time Eren withdrew himself. His vision was fuzzy and he felt like he was high, which probably explained why he reached up to wipe some of Eren's sweat damp hair off his face, not even remembering to grimace as the liquid he usually found disgusting wet his hand. Eren's mouth was pinker than before and wet from kissing Levi, his eyes barely open, pupils so blown there was barely a sliver of green left around the edges. He looked high too. Eren's arms squeezed tight around Levi's smaller body, almost painfully as Eren convulsed, coming with a chocked sob that made Levi want to forget his own name or never have been born.  
Levi felt a large amount of wet warmth spill within him as Eren rode out his orgasm with stuttered thrusts and whimpers till he slowed to a stop and then collapsed, boneless on top of levi. They lay there, shuddering and breathing together before a cool breeze re aroused their awareness of their surroundings. The hooded figures were swaying slightly,the last notes of their hummed tune ringing in the air. Erwin had stepped just forward of the circle, his cheeks red, sweat wet hair sticking to his face, and Levi hoped he imagined the small wet stain on his trousers. The thought of that man creaming himself while watching them made him more than a little uncomfortable.  
The wind picked up, and Levi felt Eren shiver a little, as he slipped out of him, breeze cooling the sweat on their skin and raising goose-bumps on their arms.  
Then there was a rumble of thunder and Levi felt his tired heart speed up, hands instinctively clutching at Eren's as his eyes darted wildly around the room, searching for the source of the noise.  
His eyes landed on Erwin who was smiling dreamily at the ceiling. Levi followed his gaze and nearly screamed in horror as he saw a blackened figure crawling out of the stone ceiling, eyes completely white and lidless, gaunt grey skin drooping towards the ground, and a blackened tongue hanging lazily from out a gaping chasm of a mouth.  
"Mother." Breathed Erwin, contentedly gazing up at the creature as if it were the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't fucking knwo what i'm donig


	3. The Creature

Levi shivered, wondering how the room’s temperature had dropped so suddenly. He watched, in a state of shock induced detachment as the hideous figure drifted slowly from the ceiling to the floor. The graceful way it glided greatly contrasted the limp, gangly way its limbs hung from its body, and the way its spine curved misshapenly. The creature that Erwin had referred to as 'mother' hovered with its stony coloured feet just inches above the ground between Erwin, Eren and Levi. Its lidless eyes gazed at Erwin, expressionless, and Erwin stared back, his own gaze enraptured. Levi wondered wildly whether it was legitimately related to Erwin. If so, then damn Erwin must have his father’s looks, because that thing barely looked human. After a moment of creepy staring, the creature widened the gaping hole where its mouth should have been and emitted a rasping noise, making Levi jump and protectively curl his arms around Eren. He tried to ignore the wide betrayed puppy dog look Eren was sending towards his master, as the boy's continued devotion unsettled him a little. He rubbed the boys back when he shivered, feeling a (probably pointless) sense of mutual understanding through their ordeal together, and wondering why Erwin was still trying to placate the boy when he'd obviously achieved his goal. Levi was watching as sadness, confusion and bitterness flitted in turns across Eren's face. He was much prettier to look at than the thing, and he seemed to still be trying to grasp everything that had just happened to him. Eren wasn't paying the creature much heed. Instead he stared desperately at Erwin, obviously hoping to catch his attention. Most likely he was expecting an explanation of some kind from him.  
The creature was still making rasping noises and with a glance to the side Levi saw Erwin nodding enthusiastically at the creature, apparently understanding whatever it was trying to communicate.  
It wasn't that Levi didn't love it when creepy looking freaks descended dramatically from the ceiling after he’d been made to fuck a dubiously willing boy. But he’d really like to leave, even if leaving meant servicing some overweight drunkard who’d sweat profusely while calling Levi by another’s name. Levi distractedly patted Eren's back, hoping that the smell of rot flooding from Erwin’s mother to his nostrils was his imagination. He'd fucked the boy, now all he really wanted to do was retreat back to the sex house and the false sense of security there. He felt badly for Eren, but this place, and whatever his master was up to was clearly dangerous, and not somewhere he wanted to stick around much longer. If he could manipulate the situation into getting himself out of it before things came to a climax, that would be preferable. He didn't want to stick around to see what kind of 'personality' Erwin's fucked up mother had. The sex house wasn't actually safe, he knew that perfectly well. He’d seen what had happened to those who’d broken the rules because they believed they were favourites of the Madame and expected no consequences. Also, the guards often wouldn't intervene if a client got violent; they got better tips from the more aggressive ones, and consequently Levi watched for when they were humming to themselves, or looking happier than usual so he knew when to be more careful, or play sick to refuse a big paying client.  
Comparatively, at least Levi knew what kind of dangers to expect at his brothel. There were patterns, there were rules. Outside assignments were always far more terrifying than any of the perverts Levi encountered within the walls of the whore house. The trips were by their very nature, unpredictable. Especially because there was always some disturbed reason the clients couldn't or didn’t want to go to the sex house themselves. Whether it be their quirky personality or some defect of their body or mind. This little trip had proved to be no exception and, with his service done, every self-preserving instinct inside Levi urged him to bolt.  
Levi cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention of the room's occupants, including, to his dismay, the thing... or at least he thought it was looking at him, It was hard to tell - Erwin’s hideous mother had some fucked up empty sockets instead of eyes.  
Levi steeled himself. He'd ask for payment for the Madame, then he'd fuck off...though perhaps not before slipping his personal room mailing address to the Eren somehow. He wouldn’t mind getting the occasional letter from him. To see if he stayed okay, and remained alive.  
He ignored the creepy lidless/eyeless stare of Erwin's mother and spoke up, refusing to acknowledge how wrecked his voice sounded.  
"If it's al right with you, sir, i've completed my service. It's time for me to be on my way." He raised his eyebrows at Erwin, hoping he'd not need further prompting about payment, and being escorted away from the premises, as without help, Levi had little chance of finding his own way out.  
Erwin smiled warmly, but Levi could see an annoyed look in his eyes at the interruption.  
"Why yes, of course...?"  
"Levi."  
"Levi!" He chuckled, "forgive me, I'd rather forgotten you were there”.  
Levi believed him.  
Erwin glanced back at the thing before advancing towards Levi, who still had a gangly brat sprawled on top of him, and was most certainly not putting off pushing him away till the last minute.  
Erwin stopped just above them, pulling open the jacket of his tail coat. He reached into the inside pocket and retrieved a small tied fabric pouch that clinked when he threw it to floor beside Levi’s head. Levi unwound one of his arms from Eren and pulled the leather string, letting the fabric fall open and shifting himself so that he could inspect the contents, which was thankfully a healthy handful of silver coins.  
"For your Mistress." Erwin told him, and Levi frowned because he already knew that, and she was the 'Madame,' not 'Mistress.'  
A small voice piped up from Levi’s lap, startling him.  
"Master?" The poor boy's voice sounded so hesitant and anxious but was brimming with enough childish hope to make Levi want to snake his arm back around him again. .  
But he didn’t. His job was done and paid for, so he had no further reason to touch the boy, and despite the calm and friendly demeanour Erwin portrayed, Levi suspected that the mask of gentility hid something far more dangerous. So he sat still and watched as Erwin turned his attention to Eren, his expression one of polite curiosity. Levi wondered why he bothered to fake kindliness at this point, as Erwin looked down at the young boy who was fighting back tears.  
“Master – I.” Eren stopped, swallowing thickly. Shifting his gaze down to his hands, curling himself subconsciously away from Levi.  
“What- I don’t know…Master, why-” his voice cracked, and he seemed unable to look up at Erwin any longer. Levi was suddenly struck with the thought that it had been much crueller of Erwin to treat Eren with kindness. At least Levi knew who the person who'd bought his life is. She may be harsh and uncaring, but at least he knew that clearly. The Madame hadn't fooled Levi into thinking she was the opposite. Someone who cared.  
“Eren.” Erwin spoke softly, with a cooing lilt, like Eren was some kind of startled animal he was trying to sooth. “You just took part in a very important ceremony.” He said it like Eren should be proud of himself.  
“You helped us summon Mother.” His smile turned dreamy and his gaze glazed over as he spoke the last word. The creature was directly behind him. When had it moved there? Levi felt unsettled for what seemed to him the hundredth time tonight. This client was clearly into illegal witchcraft, and it was that line of thought that prompted Levi to reach over, bundle up the silver coins, and scoot himself out from underneath Eren. Gaze searching and finding his clothes discarded in a heap behind them, he scuttled over, and pulled his pants on, hopping a little as he pulled them up, throwing his loose linen shirt over his head unceremoniously. After pocketing the coins, he decided he’d allow himself a last farewell glance at Eren. Eren. He lay there, hunched in on himself, looking miserable and used - his chest splattered with Levi's semen, unable to look up at his Master who was all but glowing with happiness. Erwin was still speaking to Eren in that cooing low voice.  
‘-quired the sacrifice of virginity. You were very helpful, Eren. You have made me very pleased.” Eren’s head darted up, and Erwin’s smile widened, stretching his face in a way that looked painful. The creature bobbed a little behind Erwin, it seemed to be watching Eren with an expression as akin to curiosity as its gaunt face could manage. Levi couldn’t see Eren’s face, but he knew that if in his place he’d be spitting at Master Erwin’s gleeful mug right about now.  
Eren’s head lowered again and Levi had to strain his ears to hear the mumbled response.  
“I’m happy to have pleased you, Master.” Levi wanted to punch someone. He almost wanted to punch Eren. Then there was a piercing screech and Erwin was gone, a puddle of red in his stead on the floor. Levi could only stand frozen in horror as he watched blood dribble from the rotting crevice in the creatures face. White blank eyes passed over Levi, and he felt his heart freeze in his chest, ears thrumming as he registered the anguished and angered screams of the hooded figures. There was a rush of heat past his head and the creature staggered as fire impacted in its chest, but seemed otherwise unperturbed. Levi noted that some figures were fleeing through the brass door he’d entered through, but he couldn’t get his feet to move to flee with them. The creature disappeared from his sight, but a piercing scream followed by a sickening crunching noise signalled it had only gone to the other side of the room. Levi felt someone grab his hand and saw Eren shouting at him, telling him to move. Levi’s gaze drifted over Eren’s shoulder and he saw the creature reach down with its long thin arms and lift someone’s head clean off their shoulders, as if it were never attached properly. It’s held the decapitated object up in the air, black tongue darting out to lap at the fluid leaking out of it.  
Then he was running, Eren was dragging him, but as he felt himself regain control over his body he pulled himself out the boy’s hold. Eren slowed to look at him but he nodded to indicate he was fine. They were off again, darting through corridors with sharp corners, ducking under low hanging curtains that hung at doorways between rooms. Levi didn’t question what had happened to him earlier, it wasn’t the time. He just kept running and running til they were outside, and gasping for air. Levi looked about himself as he caught his breath and nearly keeled over in relief when he spotted the carriage that had picked him up from the sex house. He started towards it but stopped when he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt. He turned to look at the boy.  
“What is it?” He asked, not meaning to sound impatient, but it came out curt just the same.  
“Where are you going?” The boy almost sounded accusing, and Levi fought not to scowl at him.  
“…back to the whore house from whence I came, kid. See ya.” He turned to leave again, but he felt a hand grip his arm like a vice.  
“Let go.” He growled, not liking anything that made him stay at this accursed place any longer, even if it was cute.  
“Take me with you.” It didn’t really sound like a request, but Levi decided to treat it like one. He glared at the boy while he mulled impatiently over his options.  
Take the boy with me. He debated. Leave him here to die. Well I can’t fucking leave him to die, can I?  
Mind whirring with excuses and possibilities, Levi grabbed Eren’s hand and tugged him towards the carriage, coachman sitting patiently in his seat, puffing a pipe and completely oblivious to the carnage occurring inside the mansion. It was a beautiful mansion, Levi didn’t allow himself any time to admire the stone infrastructure though, instead he motioned for Eren to be quiet, and snuck the door open, ushering him into the carriage slowly, keeping a watchful eye on the coach driver as Eren clambered in. Satisfied that Eren was safely in, he exited the coach and whistled to the driver to draw his attention. The man glowered at Levi for a moment, then reluctantly emptied his pipe, tucking it safely away into his belt.  
Levi clambered into the carriage after Eren, and felt a little of the tension in his shoulders begin to ebb away as the coach jolted and swayed when it began to move. He looked out of the window and watched as the mansion grew smaller and smaller, till they passed the main stone pillars of the entrance gate and turned out of the property, round a corner building finally concealed by bush. Satisfied, Levi turned to look at Eren, who’d curled up on the seat opposite him, robes hanging loosely off him, staring at the carpeted floor. A vein throbbed in his temple as he ignored the impossibility of smuggling a boy into his room unnoticed. He might be able to conceal him for a while, but…eventually he would be found, and Levi would be punished severely. But there was no way Eren was going to barge in there and offer himself up to join them as a whore. Technically Sex Slave, but Levi didn't like that term.  
The boy was trembling he saw, and Levi wanted to say something to ease his mind, but could think of nothing. So they sat there in silence till Eren drifted off to sleep, Levi himself unable to rest because of nerves fluttering in his stomach, and the angry voices in his head telling him he was an idiot who was going to get himself killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry there wasn't smut in this chapter, but there will be smut basically in every single chapter after this ;), besides i have no actual idea to write smut so i'm sure you're not too upset lol :)


	4. The Whore House

Sneaking the kid in was easier than Levi had expected. They went in through the back door, Levi having used his charms to distract the driver while Eren got out. The chances of the man mentioning anything to anyone of importance if he noticed that he dropped off one person and retrieved two were low, but Levi didn’t like leaving loose ends lying around. They slipped through the kitchens, Levi’s grip on Eren’s wrist tighter than necessary, as they went straight out of the kitchens to a back stairwell, which was grotty and infrequently used, and just so happened to lead to a spot on the second floor just a few doors from Levi’s personal quarters. Levi definitely didn’t use this stairwell to sneak out and get drunk on his off nights. Opening the door of the stairwell to the second floor, Levi stopped himself from emitting a sigh of relief, not wanting to celebrate prematurely. Tugging Eren behind him down the landing, round the sharp corner of the corridor to his room door, that’s when he saw her and froze mid step, causing Eren to walk right into him. She shouldn’t be there.  
Heart pulsing uncomfortably in his throat he released his grip on Eren’s wrist in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner, and walked briskly towards the woman staring at them. “Mikasa.” He said “What are you doing here.” She shifted her bored gaze to the wall.  
“Guarding.” She murmured.  
"Yes, but-” Levi had been on an outside call to a client who was apparently a good friend of the Madame, there was no point in her guarding an empty room. Besides -  
“Why are you guarding my room? Where’s Armin?” Did something happen?” She took a moment to respond.  
“Armin’s isn't going to be working for a while. Madame wants me to guard you in the meantime. Who‘s that?” She asked, looking behind Levi to Eren. Levi ignored the question, pretending to be curious about what had occurred while he was out to give him time to invent an excuse as to why he’d a half naked slave boy with him. He’d been counting on either nobody being outside his door, or being able to bribe Nile with a few coins from his share of the outing.  
“What happened to my usual guard?” He asked, furrowing his brow in what he hoped looked like a concerned expression.  
“Nile stepped in for Armin with me. He’s…he’s out too.” Well shit. Some seriously fucked up shit must have gone down if two guards had actually intervened. Usually their presence was just for show, because they hardly stepped in if someone was getting beat up. Only if you were genuinely being murdered they might they see it within themselves to do their supposed jobs. Well, that and Levi had figured their jobs were more about keeping the whores in the whorehouse than proctecting anyone. Guarding The Madame's wealth. Rumour has it, Mikasa was different and that she stepped in for Armin because of a soft spot for him. It was a dangerous thing, to have a soft spot for someone in a sex house, and for other’s to know about it.  
“How bad is he?” Levi asked.  
"Nile?” She wouldn’t look at him, her body tensing visibly at his question. Avoiding.  
“Armin.” She flinched at his name. Levi’d never seen her react like that, though admittedly he rarely saw her. Most of the time, she wore an expression of bored apathy, not unlike the mask Levi himself wore. As if stopping the pain and uncertainty from showing on his face could somehow lessen the degree to which he felt them.  
“Who’s that?” She repeated, nodding towards Eren, choosing not to answer him by forcing a change of subject. Levi scowled, having come up with a few different excuses but having no clue which one to use. He’d have to wing it. Deciding the truth might be his best option, if Mikasa really did have a soft side than a sob story for Eren might work. He tugged Eren forward for her to see clearly.  
“This is Eren. He was part of the job I just got back from. His master wanted to sacrifice him for some weird cult bullshit, but got himself killed. He had nowhere else to go, so I brought him back here.” He shrugged, as he lowered his other hand to his pant’s pocket, checking that the coin bag was still there, in case he needed to bribe her.  
“Your client died?” Levi couldn’t decide if she sounded angry shocked or concerned, her face gave nothing away to him as it displayed the same bored expression it usually wore. Eren winced beside him.  
“Not exactly, I- Well the client.” Levi paused, wondering how the fuck you described what had happened in the circular room, and decided to just mix a few lies in to make things easier. It came out awfully smoothly.  
“There was a dispute, between the client and some…acquaintances of his. Things got bloody, and...gangrenous, there was a fight. We escaped I n the confusion.” Levi shrugged, as if it was fucking no big deal he’d risked his life for this stupid kid. Mikasa stared at him and Levi braced himself. This was the deciding moment. Then beside him, Eren shivered, tugging at his flimsy robes to cover himself a little more, and Levi had initially thought he imagined it when he saw something in Mikasa’s eyes visibly soften. But then again he can’t have imagined it because next she was unwinding the red scarf she always wore around her neck, and stepping closer to Eren as she wound it around his own.  
“The scarf. It’s warm.” She dead-panned, and Levi felt socially awkward just watching her. Eren buried his chin in the scarf, locking his eyes shyly with hers. “Thank you.” He murmered. Mikasa turned to Levi, glaring at him.  
“What do you plan on doing with him.” Levi didn’t like her tone. Or whatever she could be trying to imply.  
“Hiding him in my room. Keeping him safe.” He saw Eren look at him from the corner of his eye.  
“He won’t be safe here.” She told him. “Not for long.”  
“I know that. But I couldn’t leave him there.” Levi shrugged. “I’ll keep him here til I figure something else out.” Levi glanced at his door, wanting to get inside. Standing out in the open was making him nervous.  
“What about his master? Won't he try to look for him?”  
"He's dead."  
"You're sure?” Mikasa didn't seem to have believed him. She shot a look of pity to Eren, who suddenly seemed to be trying to bury his entire face in the scarf. Masterless slaves got the shitty end of the stick. Things were pretty uncertain for slaves who’s masters died before they did as it was unusual. Most slaves were born into serving their masters, who’s lives are a lot longer. Usually they would serve them for their whole life, and their children would serve them after they passed on. Their own Madame was 130 years young.  
“Alright then.” Mikasa shifted out of they way so they could enter the room. “I’ll help you out.” She looked at Eren, letting a small smile curve her lips upwards. The only smile Levi had ever seen her give. Eren’s ears and cheeks turned red in response before Levi finally ushered him inside, clicking the door shut behind them. Levi turned to Eren, ignoring the way he flinched, jerking his body just out of Levi’s reach.  
“Alright kid, now if you’re going to be staying with me, you need to follow my rules.” Wide green eyes stared at him as he spoke.  
“I expect you to keep clean, I have a bath tub on the balcony outside this room, I assume you know how to pump water into a bucket. If you want hot water you'll need to light a fire beneath the tub, don't fucking cook yourself by accident, put the fire out once the water is warm. I'll do it first to show you. And if you make a mess of anything in my room, you will clean it up straight away or you will be extremely sorry.” He glared up at the boy. “Got it, kid?” Eren straightened his back, a look of irritation on his face which seemed to overpower his earlier shyness.  
“Stop calling me kid.” He muttered angrily. Levi raised his eyebrows.  
“I'll call you what I like. My house my rules." He said. Eren frowned at the floor.

A quiet began to settle between them then that Levi found extremely difficult to deal with. Gone was the rush of their escape. Now that he'd smuggled the kid into his room he had to actually deal with him. Levi wasn't exactly someone people sought out for conversation, though he could be talkative. And Levi himself was never one to seek out companionship, though many sought his - and sometimes with borderline desperation. The boy and him stood about a metre apart, in silence, both unsure what to say or do.  
“Bath.” Levi said suddenly, as the idea struck him that keeping busy was the best method of avoidance. “Then bed.” Silence once his old friend, currently felt like an ominous thick cloak around Levi's shoulders as he went outside to draw the bath, lighting the pit beneath it to warm the water he drew from the pump in the wall and filled in the tub using a metal bucket. Eren took a while to follow him to the balcony, dawdling with a renewed shyness. Levi pumped water into the bucket and carried it to and from the bath tub, filling it - his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth and unable to form words to break the stillness that he usually revelled in. He hummed a mindless tune under his breath for a distraction, the fire under the tub crackling while Eren anxiously hovered behind him by the door to his room, agitatedly shifting his weight from foot to foot, and causing Levi to furrow his brow more and more in irritation. Levi deemed the bath water level good enough and returned to the water pump, filling up one extra bucket of water and grabbing a rough textured wash cloth from the basin beside it. He gestured stiffly at Eren behind him.  
"Clothes, off." He said, pushing down the pump and watching the water rush into the bucket. Eren shuffled behind him. Levi pushed the lever another time, and that was enough to fill the bucket nearly to the top. He picked it up by the handle plopped the cloth inside the water and carried the pail over to Eren, who was still dressed in his silken robes, standing hesitant and anxious looking. 'just act as you normally do' Levi told himself as he avoided eye contact, choosing to scowl at a spot just over Eren's shoulder instead of his face, sure that whatever expression reflected in his green eyes would make him feel a whole spectrum of emotions he was uncomfortable with. Eren fidgeted with the edge of one of his sleeves, mumbling something Levi didn't catch.  
"Kid, off with it. You are not going to sleep in my bed while you are filthy." Though he wasn't looking at his face, he could still tell Eren's eyes had widened at his words.  
"We're sleeping together?" He asked, his voice sounding small and strained at the idea. Levi took offence.  
"No i have a fucking guest bed prepared for your stay, your highness. What do you think?" Eren's brows furrowed in a scowl that looked rather natural on his face.  
"I-" Eren trailed off, apparently he didn't have a response. Levi stared fixedly at that one chipped brick over Eren's shoulder, as his heart pumped rapidly in his chest, the silence between them thick once again with the awkwardness of their recent encounter. Levi cleared his throat, and managed to glance at Eren's face. "You need to wipe down before you get in the bath. So that the water doesn't get too much dirt in it and can be used again later when I have one. Saves water, and time."  
"I know how baths work!" Eren exclaimed, Levi managed to roll his eyes.  
"Well then you should be grateful that i'm gracious enough to let your greasy ass in first. I'll have to sit in your disgusting used water afterwards so i'm damn well going to wipe you down. Robes. Off." Eren positively glowered at him as he yanked at the tie holding his flimsy robes in at the centre, which loosened them so they fell open, then he shrugged the silken fabric off his shoulders, and Levi looked away as his eyes started to trace over his tan skin as more and more of it was exposed. The robes pooled at his feet and Eren stepped away from them, hugging at his chest when a night breeze blew over. Levi walked over, dumped the bucket on the ground and picked up the dripping wash clot. He started with the Eren's arms, wiping down his forearms and shushing him when Eren gasped at the cold water on his skin. Levi gripped the boys wrist, using it to pull the boy forwards and closer to him, drawing the cloth up his surprisingly defined biceps and to his shoulder and down again. He lifted eren's arm and wiped over underneath his arm and over his armpit, then retreated back to the bucket, dunking it in the water again, not missing the relieved sigh Eren emitted at the renewed distance between them, or the way he re-tensed when Levi approached him once more. Levi didn't take his wrist again, instead running the cloth from the tip of his shoulder over the jut of his collar bones and to the hollow at the base of his neck, where he ran the cloth up from, slowly over Eren's adams apple which bobbed as Eren swallowed audibly, and up to the bottom of his jaw. Eren's eyes avoided his own, and shifted about unable to settle on a particular spot of Levi's face for too long. Levi made quick work of the boy's other arm, scrubbing a little here and there, watching red marks show up on the boys skin only to fade seconds later. Problems did arise though, as Levi began to run the cloth down the boy's chest. Suddenly there was a painful grip on his wrist, and silver eyes rose to lock with emerald ones, who's glowed bright in the night as the glowered down at Levi.  
"I can do it from now." Eren stated, and Levi rolled his eyes.  
"Like hell I could trust a teenager to maintain a level of hygiene that is anywhere nearly up to my standards." Levi bit out, the muscles in his jaw tensing in irritation.  
"I'm not an idiot, I can do it just fine." Eren's voice was brimming with controlled agitation. Levi tried to jerk his wrist out of the boy's grip but his hold would not budge.  
"Release me." He said lowly, knowing by the way Eren flinched that he'd unconsciously let out one of his more terrifying glares. One he used to reserve soley for opponents in street fights. To let them know that they would soon die, painfully, and by his hands. The grip wavered and Levi wrenched himself free, retreating to the bucket to dunk the cloth in the water again and returning to his previous task with renewed vigour. He scrubbed furiously down the boys chest, glaring at the perfect skin as if it had personally offended him.  
"Levi." Eren said, and he ignored him, rubbing the cloth up and down his abdomen.  
"Levi-" Eren said again, and Levi huffed a breath out his nose.  
"Levi!" Eren shouted and Levi glanced up, pausing to stare at the boy.  
"I really can do it myself." He said quietly.  
"I really think you can't." Levi replied, his gaze returning to the boy's annoying chest, wiping down the sides.  
"I can - Levi just-" Levi ignored him, adamant on cleaning him. A sudden focus on the spot where his cum had sat on they boys chest and scrubbing at it roughly while disgust clawed at his stomach.  
"Levi -it's fine I can. I can do it, Levi - are you listening?" Levi hated that spot, why hadn't he cleaned it first? Revolting. He scrubbed harder., breathing heavily but still feeling lightheaded.  
"Levi! Just - I - _please stop touching me_!" Levi froze, his wash cloth hovering just above the boy's skin - staring at the hollow between Eren's pectorals as the redness from his scrubbing began to fade. He hesitantly raised his gaze. Eren was looking down at him with a pained expression, his body language drawn away from him. Levi realized his free hand had unconsciously found a hold on the boy's hip - holding it to steady himself. It was inappropriate.  
He quickly dropped his hold, shame burning in his throat as he tried to swallow over the awkward lump forming there. He took a shaky step backwards.  
"I..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say. He struggled for the right words. He knew that there was a line now being drawn by Eren and that he would need to watch his feet so as not to step over. Levi breathed, finally figuring out how to speak again just as a rush of strange furious heat sped through his body.  
"I realise now that you do not want me to touch you. It was stupid of me to not think of that." He threw the cloth at Eren, and it slapped against his chest with a loud smack, Eren quickly raising his hand to hold it in place - his eyes wide as he observed Levi's reaction. An inexplicable anger pulsed in his ears, with the beat of his heart.  
"Clean yourself. Thoroughly. I will not risk my life to illegally house someone who reeks as badly as you do." He turned on the spot swearwords echoing in his head and marched off the balcony, through the door into his room - slamming it shut behind him.  
It was only as he stood alone in the quiet of his bedroom, that he began to wonder why he'd reacted so angrily to Eren's request. He looked down at his now damp clothes, and felt the last vestiges of his anger fade into something reminiscent of guilt. Of course it was completely understandable that Eren wouldn't want to be near him. Even if he had clung to Levi earlier, snuggled into Levi, kissed- Levi shook his head, to ward away those thoughts. He didn't know why he was thinking them in the first place. It was definitely not the first time a man had clung to him overtly and then later dismissed him, fuck it happened everyday. Most of the clients were the same; professing love to Levi while they fucked, but once they finished all the feelings seemed to have been imagined. They disappeared. How many men had promised him the world and left him literally broken? The love he experienced always came as a double edged sword and a thousand lies. The men who swore they loved him always returned to their wives back home, their happy and privileged lives, as Levi was just a passing fancy. A delicacy. When they return later, they were always expecting in their condescension, for Levi to believe the was special to them. They lived in opulence and found pleasure everywhere they went, Levi was just another thing for them to enjoy whenever they wished. People were like trinkets if they were born a slave. Levi would always remain in his proverbial hell till they returned to him with a couple of coins and the promise of a sore back. He already trusted people little enough when he came to the house that he never once believed in any confession, no matter how many gifts and proclamations he received. He knew there was no such thing as a connection between people beyond the point when they were literally joined - in the act of sex. Eren was no exception, and he had not wanted to hold Levi in the first place - which rendered him even more likely to wish him away once they had finished. It wouldn't do to dwell on how Eren had behaved in that strange room. He had been frightened and forced into it, and ironically Levi had been the most comforting person in the room. Eren had had no choice but to trust him implicitly then. But now... Levi paced back and forth, wondering if he should apologise. He'd just felt so angry all of a sudden. And his behaviour, he cringed inwardly, now came across to him as jaded. He was not jaded. He did not care that Eren wanted to dismiss physical contact with him. He was used to men reacting like this. He was used to himself sometimes having to send away the men that clung to him after the had finished what had been paid for, irritatingly desperate for one more kiss, one more touch, one more hint that Levi, behind his cold exterior, could love them. Levi allowed a scowl to settle on his face once again. He shouldn't have expected the boy to be grateful to him for risking his life to put him in a safe place.

 Eren was sitting on the floor, washing between his toes and he jumped noticeably when Levi re-appeared with a flourish. Levi ignored the boy, and picked up the bucket which now sat beside him, taking it over to the pit beneath the tub and dousing out the flames. He dipped his fingers in the tub and decided Eren would need to wait a few minutes before getting in. He repeated those instructions aloud to Eren, who nodded - keeping his gaze locked on his own feet - before he retreated back into his bedroom with an exasperated sigh. Levi stared at the gold and red tapestry draping from poster of his bed and decided he and Eren would need to have some kind of talk, so that living together wouldn't be so awkward. Living together. The thought seemed so strange. Levi wondered how on earth he was going to get away with this. But something about the prospect of keeping and concealing Eren exited him, and he told himself that it was because he had some goodness in his heart, and had decided to do the right thing for someone else for once. And not because the boy was breathtakingly beautiful, and he was a fucking idiot completely blinded by lust. Levi leant against the thick wooden poster and gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. Eren was in the tub confusedly staring at one of Levi's favourite soaps - mango scented - when Levi came back out to the balcony again. To check that Eren hadn't drowned. He was not voyeuristic. Eren started again when he noticed Levi's prescience, yelping and dropping the soap in the bath. Levi rolled his eyes.  
"What are you doing." He said, walking towards the startled boy in the tub, and leaning his weight against the wide stone edge, reaching down into the water to retrieve the slippery object. Eren began to stutter.  
"I - um...I was. Just. um-"  
"Did Erwin so poorly educate his slaves, that they cannot even speak properly?" Levi interrupted the unintelligent babble, raising a brow and holding out the rescued soap to Eren. Some colour drained from Eren's face at the mention of Erwin, and Levi inwardly wondered if he was becoming an idiot. Eren changed the subject, glancing at what Levi held in his hand.  
"What is that?" Blurted the boy and Levi's eyes widened in genuine surprise.  
"Soap." He said, wondering if he seriously fucking didn't know what soap was. Eren stared at it, reaching out and tentatively taking it out of Levi's hand.  
"Oh." He said, gazing at it as if trying to figure out it's secrets. "What does it do?" He asked and Levi choked on his own spit.  
"It...cleans the shit off you. Well not this one. This one makes you not smell like the shit you were covered in before you use it."  
"It smells really good." "..." Eren smiled up at Levi, and Levi's heart did a weird skip that startled him a little. Levi gazed around the balcony and listened to the soft splashing noises Eren made as he shifted himself about the tub, trying to get comfortable. His sight settled at the rough stone outside of the circular bath, and his heart didn't jump strangely again, so he decided not to think on it.  
"Eren, about before...I am sorry." Levi said, his eyes once again finding the chipped brick to focus on instead of the boy in his bath tub. Levi felt strange going out of his way to be nice to someone - outside of a job. He didn't have many friends. Not that he wanted to be Eren's friend either, it would just be far easier ... sharing a room...if they got along.  
Levi heard the splash of water as Eren distractedly smacked at the surface in a childlike gesture of discomfort, and the small unintelligible grumbling noise he made that didn't translate into words in Levi's ears.s  
"What did you say?" He asked, keeping his tone light. Optimistic.  
"Can I use some soap?" Said Eren obviously changing the subject and Levi sighed, abandoning hope of having a mature adult discussion about anything with this kid. "It's expensive. I don't care to have it wasted on making your filthy ass crack smell like exotic fruit. And you'd have to get out of the bath to use it. I don't want soap getting in the water." Shit he really couldn't keep his brashness at bay for long could he?  
"So can I?" He asked.  
"You fucking bratty kid." Levi grumbled and Eren surged towards him in the tub, water sloshing violently threatening to escape over the rim.  
“Stop calling me a kid.” Levi raised his eyebrows.  
“But you are a kid.” He said, stifling a smirk.  
“I’m eighteen!” The kid exclaimed, his hands balling into fists at his sides.  
“Yeah, a kid.”  
“well how old are you? ‘Cos if I’m honest you look about twelve.” Levi’s mouth dropped open.  
“What the fuck did you just say to m-?”  
“Yeah you look like a really angry twelve year old, trying to seem all mature with your foul langue and revealing clothes.” Well that was rude. What the hell happened to the kid that had blushed because a girl smiled at him? This wasn’t the Eren that gasped shyly when Levi licked his neck, this was the Eren that flipped Levi over like he weighed nothing and fucked him like an animal. Levi kinda liked this Eren.  
“My balls have fucking dropped.”  
“Fuck I don’t know, I said you looked about twelve, not that your voice sounded twelve.” Eren set the soap on the side of the tub and glared up at Levi, a hint of amusement glinting in his eyes. Levi felt a strange rush of relief at how their argumentative banter abated the awkwardness between them so easily.  
“Watch your language, you smartass little shit.”  
“I’m not little, I’m taller than you. And your language is way worse than mine.” Levi was forced to suppress a confusing expression that would have been somewhere between a grimace and a smile.  
"Brat." Murmered Levi, failing to surpress the smile that was egged on by the glint in Eren's eyes.  
Levi felt a switch, like something had changed between the two of them. Like in that instant Eren became more comfortable with him and he in turn became more comfortable with Eren. And he felt almost happy.

  
Eren finished washing up, Levi still refusing him the soap, and when Eren was out and dressed in Levi's lose-fitting linen draw-string pants and a tunic, (which were far less lose on Eren) Levi had a rather unpleasant luke-warm to cold bath. Eren sat himself on one of the knotted rugs on Levi's floor, laying about and moving constantly while Levi sifted through his wardrobe, setting out and organising outfits to wear tomorrow. He pulled out a gorgeous full length black velvet coat and admired it, allowing himself the brief moment to imagine that he was not a slave - but a wealthy land owner. The coat was his and he was planning to wear it out tomorrow to town. He wrapped himself up in it and almost spun around in a twirl, completely forgetting the boy's presence.  
He glanced around to Eren, trying to fight away the pink seeping into his cheeks.  
Eren was looking up at him with a mildly amused expression.  
"You're weird." He told Levi, and Levi scowled.  
"I'm fucking fabulous. Go fuck yourself." He growled, whipping the velvet coat off and stuffing it back in the closet, storming naked to his other closet. The one that was filled with his 'day clothes; which was just a term for his 'piece of shit itchy clothes that were the price you had to pay if you didn't want to traverse the whore house in garter belts and stockings, and other things that were supposed to be for the benefit of the client.' Levi didn't mind the coat though. It was tasteful, and felt good against his skin. He was reaching into the drawer to fetch one of his night-shirts when a voice disrupted him.  
"Can I try on the coat?" Levi turned to face the boy.  
"Thought you said it was weird."  
"No I said  _you_ were weird." Eren responded innocently. This brat.  
"It wouldn't suit you."  
"Yes it would." Levi gritted his teeth, but he really didn't feel that irritated. In fact he was almost enjoying himself.  
"No it wouldn't" Said Levi, just to be petulant.  
"But i'm gorgeous." Whined Eren, stretching out on the rug and cocking his head to the side as he gazed up at Levi, his brow crinkled in a mock confusion that - well let's just say that yes he did look gorgeous.  
"You are a little shit." Said Levi, but his heart was swelling with hope. This was far less awkward than he had expected. It seemed Eren had the ability to make himself at home anywhere. Yes he was very imposing, but...Fuck why was he housing Eren again? Levi felt his good mood drop quickly again when he remembered that he was fucking illegally harbouring a master-less slave. _What the fuck am I doing what the fuck am I doing what the fuck am I doing-_  
"-Levi?" Eren questioned, snapping Levi out of his minor freak-out.  
Levi softened his expression, watching as Eren instantly relaxed in response. "It's nothing," He excused himself, "I just remembered I've forgotten to give the madame her money from that job." Levi wanted to punch himself in the face then, as all of the colour and happiness drained out of Eren's expression, leaving him look ghostly and sick. His eyes were wide, and Levi felt something painful stick in his throat while they both pretended that Levi hadn't mentioned the elephant in the room.  
It was Eren who eventually broke the silence.  
"Oh, um - well." He swallowed. "You should do that, then."  
Levi nodded too enthusiastically.  
"Yes. I should." He stepped robotically towards the door, then paused half way.  
"I should probably put on some clothes before i go." He mused, and Eren burst out laughing - the nervousness between them making it bubble out of Levi himself too. Eren had a lovely laugh. He'd not heard him laugh before.  
"You should." Choked Eren, wiping his eyes, and Levi ran back and hopped into a pair of pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i'm so sorry about that sex scene with Auruo, but shit...there will be actually nice stuff coming up. just....
> 
> Feedback is very welcome and encouraged, let me know what you think :)


	5. Auruo

The headboard banged loudly against the wall, and Levi winced as the man grunted, humping him sloppily, his dick sliding between his crack. He’d not really thought this far ahead, having half expected to be caught before getting Eren inside, but everything had gone rather smoothly, and now the poor boy was hiding under his bed, likely traumatized while listening to Levi getting fucked by one of his more frequent customers. No doubt when this was over, Eren probably wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes for at least a few days.  
He was pretty mad at himself for forgetting he’d be expected to take more clients, having finished his outside job while the night was still young. He was so fucking exhausted he’d just wanted to bathe and fall straight to sleep, but the Madame’s right hand had informed him when he’d gone to drop of the coin pouch to her, that he’d be taking Auruo, one of his regulars in an hour.  
“Levi,” grunted the man , drawing him from his thoughts. “I’m gonna fuck you so hard.” He felt the tip of Auruo’s dick being pushed against his entrance, and he moved himself backwards obediently, impaling himself on it, ignoring the burning sensation as it stretched his insides and stifling a disgusted noise. Being fucked when you were not turned on was always a pretty shitty feeling. He closed his eyes, trying to think of sexy thoughts, but his mind kept wandering back to Eren, and how the fuck was he going to keep the kid hidden, and oh my god he was in the room listening to this.  
At least he didn’t have to look at Auruo’s face right now. That might turn him off even more. Ugh Levi needed to stop being so shallow, it was why he was so stupid around the boy. Eren was undoubtedly a looker, and Levi was just another shallow guy who couldn't get it up easily for people he didn't think were up to his standards look-wise, which was really, really unfortunate, considering his line of work.  
Eren. His thoughts started straying and he shook his head, not wanting to violate Eren in his mind too. But then calloused hands wound themselves around his waist heading towards his flaccid cock and Levi desperately tried to think of sexy things. Auruo liked it when Levi was hard, he was one of the few who also called Levi by his actual name, and not the name of some unrequited love. He tried not to think of the boy, but his mind kept presenting him with images of Eren lying naked and dazed with lust, Eren panting and thrusting desperately up to meet him, Eren brokenly crying out as he came, Eren, Eren. And shit suddenly he was hard, and Auruo’s breath was tickling his ear as he chuckled, clasping Levi‘s dick hot and heavy in his palm.  
“You’re so fucking hard for me aren’t you, Levi?” He grunted in Levi’s ear, and Levi wished he’d stop talking because he’d definitely go soft at the constant reminder that Auruo was the one fucking him, and Eren could hear them. He wasn't usually this pathetic. Auruo was stroking Levi slow and rough, and Levi tried not to wince at the toughness of his calloused hand on his sensitive dick.  
“You’re so hard, and it’s all for me, and I’m gonna make you scream for me. Gonna make you whine like a bitch.” He started thrusting into Levi slow but deep while he spoke. Levi was definitely going to go soft, and Auruo would really not like that, -Eren! Eren lying naked with his beautiful long legs out on Levi’s bed, open and needy, and ready for him. Eren touching himself for him, Eren-  
“God, you’re always so tight, so tight for a whore - I’m gonna stretch you out all night, gonna make you not able to walk-” Auruo was panting into his ear, and Levi was sure he felt drool on his shoulder and it felt more disgusting than usual. Levi‘s evening had been pretty arduous…Oh no, time to try a new tactic:  
Eren was panting in his ear, his cock sliding slowly in and out of him as he stared at the pillows of his bed. Eren’s calloused hands were travelling up his body, mapping it. Levi moaned when one of those hands found a nipple, toying with it, and Eren chuckled, his wine-breath hitting Levi’s cheek in puffs of air.  
“You’re so fucking cute when you act like a slut.’ He said, his was voice deep and lusty and beautiful, and Levi could only shiver in response. When those hands wrapped back around his cock he cried out and thrusted eagerly into them, sick of the agonizingly slow pace.  
“No, no.” Scolded Eren, and Levi whined as the hands again left his cock to hold his hips still. Levi knew what Eren was doing, he knew that he would have to beg him to get a proper hard fuck. Shitty brat.  
“We’re going slow, Levi. Unless-” He trailed off, pausing to lick a sensitive spot at the base of Levi‘s neck, and Levi shuddered at the touch. “-you ask me very nicely.” He could hear the smirk in the brat’s voice and furiously tried to move himself backwards onto his cock, despite the boy’s grip on his hips, refusing to beg for some idiot brat.  
“Fuck you.” He growled lowly, when he realized his attempts to move were futile.  
“What was that?” There was amusement in his voice. The little shit was laughing at him. “I thought you already were.” Levi growled in response again.  
“Alright kitten, calm down.” Levi curled his lip in disgust at the nickname. “If you want something, all you have to do is ask….” Acknowledging defeat, Levi let his head fall down, so his face pressed into the pillows and muffled what he said.  
“Fuck me harder.” He mumbled quietly.  
“Sorry…I didn’t quite catch that?” He teasingly squeezed Levi’s cock, hard, as he spoke, making Levi jolt up, his face rising off the pillow.  
“I said fuck me harder!” He yelled, struggling to move his hips again. Eren chuckled.  
“Do you want my cock?”  
“Yes I fucking want your cock! Just fucking fuck me already for god’s sa - Ah!” Levi cried out when Eren started thrusting into him fast and hard. Eren. Eren and his beautiful green eyes, and lithe body, and fucking shit what the fuck was he doing - he felt so guilty, but it felt so good to pretend like this, so he couldn't bring himself to stop.  
“Ah! Ah - ngh ah, more! Faster plea-snngh!” He could hear Eren panting behind him as he stroked him rapidly in time with his thrusts. Levi lifted his hips, trying to angle himself so that Eren could hit his prostate, already he was feeling close but he was so wound up he couldn't bring himself to be ashamed about it. And then Eren hit that spot inside of him and he absently heard a loud banging noise but paid it no heed as he clenched and his vision went white, a rushing noise filling his ears as he came.  
“Who the fuck is Eren?” Demanded a voice, and Levi shifted himself, turning his body around to squint groggily up at the figure above him, breathing heavily and trying to blink away the fog in his eyes.  
“What-” and then Levi was alert. His sight returned and Aururo’s mug looked pretty angry right now.  
“You said ‘Eren,’ just now.“ He said. Levi cleared his throat awkwardly, still panting and mind still a little hazy from his orgasm as he panicked, distracted from being able to make up an explanation, by the horrible realization that Eren was under the bed. He’d called out Eren’s name, and Eren had probably heard. Levi closed his eyes, shame heating his cheeks.  
“It’s a swear word…In German. One of the whores told me it. It means ‘fuck’ or something…” Levi mumbled the lie, and it was so easy to make up one to give to Auruo, but he knew he wouldn't be able to come up with an excuse to give to Eren. He felt like an utter freak, getting himself off on picturing the boy who's innocence he'd just been forced to take. He swallowed thickly and waited for Auruo to relax.  
“Oh..” Said Auruo, and then he pushed Levi back around, turning him back to face the headboard as he resumed slamming his cock into him, hands holding Levi's hips in a bruising grip. He either hadn't noticed that Levi had climaxed already, or he didn't care. Levi gritted his teeth and let his head fall down onto the mattress, staring underneath his jolting body at the wet patch of his cum on the sheets  


Levi lay still, the bed dipping as Auruo shifted off of it. He closed his eyes as he heard the clink of coins being placed on his wooden duchess before the sound of his bedroom door being opened and closed as his regular left the room. Levi swallowed around the lump in is throat, his eyes burning with shame and embarrassment.  
"Levi?" He heard rustling noises as Eren pulled himself out from underneath his bed.  
"Levi? Are you alright?" Levi buried his face in his pillow, hating the concern in the boy's voice. He didn't deserve Eren's concern.  
When no response was given to him after a while the kid spoke up again.  
"Sorry." He said, and Levi's head shot up to stare at him.  
"I moved under the bed and accidentally kicked something...made you yell at me for making noise." He elaborated, his cheeks were a little red and he seemed unable to look at Levi's face. Levi's eyes widened. "Sorry for nearly getting you in trouble." The boy stared at his hands, looking nervous and timid. Levi did recall hearing a loud banging noise before he came, but he had not registered that it had been made by Eren.  
"No I...was stupid." Levi grumbled. "I Should have thought before yelling your name. It was my fault." He said, and Eren peeked up at him from his hands. "Besides, nothing happened, so it doesn't matter." Levi pushed himself off the bed, still feeling ashamed, but he was also utterly relieved that Eren had misread the whole situation. He almost had no qualms about lying to the boy. Almost.  
He pulled the soiled sheets quickly off the bed, having Eren fetch new ones from the cupboard beside it, and after dumping the dirty sheets in a corner, and arranging the new ones on the bed, he gathered his blankets from the chest at the foot of the bed, making it up for a nights rest. Or a day's rest technically because sunlight was peeking through the gaps in the curtains drawn over his windows. After wiping the sweat and other gross body fluids off himself with a wet cloth on the balcony, he changed into a lose cotton nightshirt that hung to his mid-thigh's and retired to bed. He lay on his back, and Eren shifted to the edge of the bed, the furthest away from Levi as he could get, turning to his side to face away from him. He didn't speak, but Levi could see the tension his his shoulders. Levi felt highly conscious of how delicate the peace between them seemed to be. He felt like between him and Eren, there was a string that connected them, but it was weakly made and any wrong move could break it. Eren was constantly changing in his attitude towards him. One moment he was fearlessly mocking Levi's height, and the next he was acting like Levi was some kind of dangerous predator. Levi wasn't very good at consoling people, but he'd at least like Eren to know that he was not a threat.  
"I'm not going to do anything, brat." He told him. "I will never hurt you, and I will never touch you sexually unless you ask me to." Eren made no indication that he had heard him, but Levi saw a slight ease in the tension of his shoulders.  
A moment.  
"Good night, Eren."

Levi's heart pounded in his ears at the silence.

 


	6. The First Night

Levi wasn't getting much sleep. The brat kept waking him up with his constant tossing and turning. It was getting annoying. He was planning on ignoring it, sure that he would eventually drift off, but after an hour of staring at the canopy above his bed as the boy kicked his sheets about, he'd had enough.  
"Oi. Brat." It almost felt like the air physically froze around him as the brat seized up at his voice. There was no response.  
"Whatever it is that's keeping you up. Spit it out. You're keeping me up too."  
"Don't call me brat." Grumbled the boy tiredly.  
"Fine then, kid." said Levi, just to get a reaction. The boy spun around to face him, indignant.  
"Don't call me kid either!" He exclaimed, then blanched when he noticed the smirk on Levi's face, shifting further away from him again. Levi sighed.  
"Look, what happened earlier, i'm really sorry. For both things that happened, but more so for the shit that went down at your Master's house." He assumed it was Erwin's house anyway. Levi continued, determined to settle a few things between them, his social skills be damned. He needed to know Eren wouldn't be frightened of him. That Eren wouldn't make him feel like a monster. He hadn't wanted to do those things. Not like that anyway.  
"So just could you...stop flinching away from me. It makes me feel like shit. You realize I had to obey - to do…what I did in there, right? I'm a slave, just like you." The kid stared guiltily down at his hands, mumbling quiet words of apology which Levi could barely hear.  
"You don't need to fucking apologize to me. I'm sorry, you're sorry. We're both sorry. Neither of us actually had a choice, so let's stop saying sorry to each other and try to move forward a little." Eren flinched at Levi's harsh tone, but nodded as he finished, body curling in on himself as he leaned away.  
"You're still doing it, Eren." Levi said, and they boy looked at him, his eyes full of confusion. "You're shying away from me. I'm not going to hurt you." Levi put as much sincerity into his voice as he could, hoping to assure the boy that he was safe with him. Well as safe as you could be in a cruel and corrupt sex house.  
"Sorry." The boy mumbled again, and Levi rolled his eyes, giving up on this useless conversation and rolling over to face away from Eren.  
It was quiet for a while, and Levi was relieved as he began to relax into the peaceful silence, his eyes drooping as sleep began to cloak over his senses. The bed shifted and he snapped back to alertness, only to realise that the boy was moving closer, shyly, and slowly. Levi smiled to himself as he felt a tentative hand take purchase on the back of his night shirt. Gripping it for comfort. Then he closed his eyes and finally sleep did take him.

Some hours later Eren’s voice interrupted Levi’s sleep once again.  
“Levi?” He questioned, voice quickly swallowed by the silence that always shrouded the upper floors of the sex house during the day. After hearing no response the boy shifted closer and rested his forehead against Levi’s back.  
“What is it Eren?” Levi's voice was croaky, and Eren to jolt backwards in fright. Eren took a moment to gather himself, breathing evenly and shifting himself back to where he’d been positioned earlier, so as to not offend the older male with his jumpiness.  
“I think I’d like to talk now.” Eren told him, patting the cotton fabric on the short man’s back, “About what was bothering me earlier. Like you said I should.” There was a tired groan of a response, and Eren blundered on, bunching the fabric up, and then smoothing it out again under his hand, finding the actions soothing.  
“I was worried because…I felt..” He trailed off, not sure how he was actually going to explain it.  
Levi sniffed. Eren pressed his face back against his back, finding the heat that Levi was exuding a little comforting. “When my Master told me…after we did it-” Eren froze, but when Levi said nothing he continued on, “after we did it," He whispered the small sentence again, "When he said I’d pleased him, I just felt so - so angry. I wanted him dead. I wanted all of them dead.” Eren scrunched his eyes closed, breathing deeply to try and calm himself and catching Levi’s scent, which was like soap, and musk, and strawberries.  
“And then they were dead, just like I had wanted them to be.” Eren gripped the fabric of Levi’s shirt tighter. “Have you ever wondered if you could do things…things that normal people shouldn’t be able to? ...I wanted them dead, and then they all died. It was horrible. I thought that maybe it wasn’t me that caused it at first, because I saw some people escape that room…and I’d wanted all of them to die, but Levi, I realized, that we were the only people who came out of that building.” The silence after he spoke his fears aloud felt deafening, as he waited for Levi’s to say something. The response he got was a soft sighed breath, because Levi had fallen back asleep. Eren furrowed his brow, not sure he was relieved or not, and moved himself in closer to Levi’s back, equal parts frightened by their proximity, and relaxed by the assuring fact that Levi was both asleep - and very warm.


	7. Waking up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Armin finally is introduced, and he and levi butt heads loloollollolll  
> Also Eren is a little shit?

Levi awoke feeling uncomfortably warm, he felt a sudden wave of panic when he realised there were arms wrapped around him, holding him tight. He reached for the hands around his waist, the man behind him making an annoyed groaning noise as he pried himself free. The bed dipped as he got off it and after a few quick stretches he padded to the balcony, grabbed a wash cloth from the basin against the wall outside and used the pump to draw water. He pulled off his night shirt, wiped the morning sweat off himself with the cloth, barely reacting as the cold water met his skin, dumped the washcloth back in the sink and then headed back into his room, carrying his dirty night shirt in favour of putting it back on again.  
He was scratching his stomach idly when he paused and frowned at the bed. The boy in it had grabbed Levi's pillow and was now clinging to it in a similar way that he'd clung to Levi, his face buried in it, only the mop of sleep-tousled brown hair visible. He was wearing linen drawstring pants and no shirt, the sheets loosely cast about him in an absolute mess, twining around his legs and falling off one side of the bed, but leaving the smooth tan skin of his chest and back revealed. Levi took a moment to glare at the figure, confused as to why he was there, before he marched over to the bed and ripped his pillow out of the boy's arms, protecting it incase the boy tried to drool on it. The boy reached out weakly for the pillow, his eyes drawn closed still, his lashes dusting against his rounded cheeks, pink full lips turned downwards in disquiet and a small crinkle appearing between his brows. Levi's heart stilled in late recognition and a sudden realisation. He stood rooted to the spot while his sleep addled brain began to comprehend who was in his bed. And why. The boy's arms flailed half heartedly in the direction of Levi's stolen pillow and he shifted a little, grumbling as Levi blinked his eyes furiously, trying to will the sight in front of him away. Perhaps this time when he closed his eyes, the boy in his bed would be gone when he opened them. But he wasn't gone, no matter how many times Levi blinked. It felt like a black hole had just opened in his stomach, sucking away all of his insides and leaving him feeling hollow, and terrified. Levi threw the pillow at the boy's head in frustration, ignoring the surprised groan the boy- Eren made in response as he paced in a circle, tugging frustratedly at his hair. He glanced over at Eren again to see him blinking, his eyes scrunched up and squinting around the room. He caught sight of Levi, and his eyes widened, the last dregs of sleepiness fading.  
"Oh." He said quietly.  
"Oh." Levi repeated, releasing his hair, but putting his face in his hands. Fuck this - what the hell was he thinking? No. It would be fine. Nobody would know if they didn't come in his room - Shit people come into his room every day, His clients! Oh god...Auruo. A wave of heat flushed his face with shame as he remembered what had happened last night. He honestly felt a little disgusted with himself. A quiet sniffle interrupted his internal monologue and alerted him to the fact that it seemed Eren was also feeling rather overwhelmed this morning. Afternoon. Whatever.  
"Eren?" He questioned, removing his hands from his face to see that Eren had buried his in his own. The boy's shoulders shook with repressed sobs. Levi approached tentatively. Eren sniffled again, and Levi quickly sat on the edge of the bed beside him - reaching out hesitantly to the boy's face. His fingers touched Eren's cheek for a second, but then his hand was smacked away and Eren was looking up at him with a frustrated expression, beautiful emeralds sparkling with tears.  
"Just...Can you go?" The boy croaked out. Levi swallowed, searching Eren's eyes to try and figure out what he was thinking. He found no answer, and nodded numbly, raising himself from the bed and heading towards the door, where he paused for a moment;  
"I'm sorry Eren."  
"It's not your fault." Eren told him, and then Levi bolted from the room, suddenly desperate to get away.

Having quickly reached the lower floor, he pushed through the groups of people absent-mindedly standing in his way. The lower levels of the sex house bustled with activity, as the whore's on day shift hung out in the lounges and halls of the lower levels, chatting idly and cooing at clients touring their way through the halls. Levi headed for the kitchen hidden in the back area of the house. The smell of cooked eggs greeted his nostrils as he neared it, and he eagerly surged inside the brightly lit space, intent on seeking out a plate for himself. The kitchen was lined with rectangular rows of tables where whore’s sat either looking tired, - eating their dinner between clients (something Levi personally avoided because he never felt hungry after sex, because of that one time when he was new and he’d done a blow job on this really rough guy when he'd just had food.) - or looking as if they’d just woken up, their hair sticking out at angles and their eyes squinting in half confusion around the room. Levi bypassed the tables to the long bench where he picked up a plate and joined the luckily short queue for food. There were exactly 104 prostitutes in the sex house currently, all of them either rejected slave’s desperate for a better life, slave’s who’s parents had reproduced illegally, and turned their secret children to the Madame, or slave’s who had been born into the sex industry. Though all of them, including Levi, should have known better than to believe that the Madame’s most famous, most unique and prestigious sex house would be a comfortable residence. Levi snorted to himself, as he slowly shuffled forward in the line, at the thought that outsiders revered the Madame as some kind of unique humanitarian. How benevolent they thought her, taking off-cut slaves who were considered unfit for breeding or duty - and training them, miraculously transforming them into some of the finest whore’s in the southern realms. She was a miracle worker, a benefactress of Slaves, and a fine business woman. - Taking in unwanted slaves was far less expensive than purchasing special purpose bred slaves, who were highly in demand these days. "Leeevi!!" The wailing voice pulled Levi from his thoughts. Shit. His whole body tensed, and he made a split second decision to abandon the prospect of food, in favour of avoiding the fucking mad doctor. Doctor Hanji always made sure to give the whore’s a thorough inspection at least once a week, unless injury called them to her more frequently, and she always performed an inspection on whore’s after they returned from outside jobs - as they were unique and often somewhat sadistic. He spun on his heels to see her running towards him, long coat flying out behind her, her arms outstretched towards him in a gesture that to anyone else would have looked like it carried the promise of a hug, but Levi knew would trap him in some kind of headlock and he’d potentially be injected with a sedative before he’d the chance to call her out on being a fucking evil piece of shit. He stuck his tongue out at her in a childish gesture befitting of his stature and ran between a row of tables adjacent to hers dashing back into the hallways and winding through different halls and lounges, till he knew she was off his tail. Once he was absolutely sure she was gone, he snuck into the smaller back kitchens, and snagged himself an apple.


	8. Armin

Armin pushed the scrambled eggs around on his plate with his fork, trying his best to ignore the stares aimed at him from the other whores. Jean sat opposite him, and had stopped eating his own food, instead watching the movement of Armin’s fork, wincing every time the metal scratched against the plate and created a grating noise. Finally Jean sighed and spoke up.  
"So…you’re out of the ward." Armin swallowed, he felt uncomfortable, he didn’t want to talk about what had happened, he didn’t want to look up and see the pity or concern or whatever it was that would surely be reflected in people’s eyes. Didn’t want people to know or talk to him about it. He wanted everyone to ignore it, and pretend that they at least hadn’t heard anything.  
"I am." Armin felt a little guilty at how clipped his tone was, so he repeated the words, softer this time. "I am." Jean tapped his fork on the table and Armin waited for him to speak again in silence, hoping his brain would come up with no line of conversation and their chat would end here. Unfortunately it seemed Jean was determinedly talkative today.  
"How are you feeling?" Armin’s head snapped up at that, and he regretted it because Jean was looking at him with both the emotions he hadn’t wanted to see. Concern and pity. Armin looked back at the mess he’d created on his plate.  
"Fine." He mumbled, and Jean snorted loudly.  
"Hey Armin, seriously, you don’t have to pretend for me. I mean-" Armin saw his hands gesture vaguely towards all of him- "Look at you, Armin." He heard Jean’s voice crack, and lowered his head further, wanting to disappear. "Armin, if you need anything I can help you…just ask me, i’ll do it!" Armin could hear how forced his tone was, and thought it was quite sweet of him to try for him.  
"I appreciate that Jean. If I need anything, i’ll let you know." Armin relented wanting to end the conversation.  
"Where’s Mikasa?" Armin asked glancing around them, wanting a distraction. He saw Jean look around out of the corner of his eye too.  
"I dunno - she should be here, unless Levi’s not up and out of his room yet." Jean shrugged.  
"No Levi’s in the queue over there." Armin nodded towards the far end of the kitchen, where Levi stood a whole foot shorter than anyone else in the line.  
"Oh yeah, he his. He looks like shit." Jean furrowed his brow and turned towards the short man and craned his neck to get a better view of him. "God, He looks exhausted - he’s - he’s still in his nightie!" Levi stood apparently deep in some thoughts that drew an even deeper scowl on his face than was characteristic of him, his short loose night shirt reaching only to his upper thighs, displaying the smooth pale flesh of his slender legs, and a few painful looking bruises on the back of his thighs. “Never seen him in it before, makes him look less threatening I reckon.” Armin silently agreed, and Jean blundered on, “But dude’s tough, I don’t wanna know what his client did to make him look even angrier than he usually does. Must’ve been-” Then Jean blanched, glancing awkwardly at Armin, “I mean- um well..” Armin waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to go back to the subject of clients, and what they sometimes do to whores.  
"It’s fine." He shifted his attention away from Levi’s legs. "I think I might go see Mikasa, bring her my food seeing as I don’t really feel like eating it, and I don't want her to miss out." Then he stopped, realizing that he couldn’t get up to the second floor on his own. He looked sheepishly over to Jean.  
"I can carry you up the stairs." Jean offered, helpfully saving Armin the humiliation of having to ask. "But will Hanji want you to be up and about? I’m surprised she let you come to the kitchen on your own."  
"I can get around just fine by myself on the first floor!" Armin exclaimed, then quickly retracted his temper. It wouldn’t do to take out his frustration at being utterly useless on Jean.  
"Sorry." he muttered, and put his hands on the wheels of his wooden chair, pushing himself backwards from the table. His chair creaking loudly as he moved. "I’m just frustrated…that’s all. I won’t yell at you again." Jean stood, the bench scraping as he did so, and made his way over to Armin, kneeling down to the side of his chair and looking up at him with a sincerity Armin wasn’t used to seeing in him.  
"Yell at me all you want Armin, if it makes you feel better." Before Armin could respond he’d reached over, wrapping one arm underneath the bottom of Armin’s thighs, and the other around his back, hoisting Armin up into his arms. Clutching his plate of food to his chest, Armin watched his legs dangle uselessly and said nothing as Jean carried him away. As they left the kitchen dining area, they heard the exited shout of doctor Hanji, who had apparently also spotted Levi standing in the queue.

Jean sat Armin down in front of Mikasa, who was standing guard in front of Levi's door, then he dashed away downstairs again to retrieve Armin's chair so that he wouldn't have to stay sitting on the floor like an infant. Mikasa was quietly waiting for Armin to speak, holding the food Armin had brought her but not eating it. Armin smiled up at her, tucking his blond hair behind one ear where it fell into his face.  
"Hey Mikasa. Anything happen while I was sleeping?" He was merely joking, but Mikasa's left eye twitched, prompting him to curve his eyebrows upwards in surprise. "Nothing." She deadpanned. Armin sat there, considering her for a while. Mikasa's posture stiffened with every second that passed in silence, till Armin finally broke it.  
"Why are you guarding an empty door, Mikasa?" Mikasa drew herself up to her full height, unintentionally annoying Armin by towering over him.  
"No reason," she said, her awkward tone had Armin utterly unconvinced. "'Kasa?" He questioned, and she flinched at the nickname.  
"Where's your scarf?" Mikasa's hand flew to where the soft red scarf usually was at her neck, then when it found nothing there, dropped in a rather awkward way back to her side, her expression worried enough to make Armin suspicious. Mikasa shook her head.  
"It's lost." Was all she said. Armin tried several vague attempts at getting her to talk, to no avail. Then Armin was suddenly struck with a thought.  
"Levi's at the kitchens you know." He told her, and she looked at him, her face showing that she knew that. "That room is empty right? " Why else would she be guarding it unless it was still occupied? What was she hiding? No, what was Levi hiding? The minute widening of her eyes gave Armin his answer, and his brows lowered into a frown as he regarded her.  
"You know, you don't have to cover for Levi if he's...done something. Not if it will get you killed." He told her, and she opened her mouth to make a response, but their conversation was cut short by Jean's asthmatic breathing as he lugged Armin's chair up the last flight of stairs. Silence settled over them again as they waited for Jean to push the chair towards them down the hall, Mikasa avoiding Armin's curious gaze the whole time. Jean triumphantly pushed the chair towards Armin, grinning happily as if he'd just won a race, and then hurried to hoist Armin back into it. He hovered for a moment, and Armin thanked him, telling him he was 'amazing' and smiling sweetly, Mikasa offering a small smile of her own. Armin's smile turned into a slight frown when Jean's cheeks turned pink and he stuttered, dashing away down the hall and disappearing behind the door into the stairwell. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his friend, but before he could say anything she interrupted him, voice in a hushed whisper.  
"Armin, it's not that -Levi's done anything. Not really," Armin sighed a little, relieved that at least he could probably erase his worry at there being a dead client behind the door, "but he has..." She trailed off, looking worried again, head turning to look both ways down the hall before leaning closer to Armin and continuing. "He's taken someone in." Armin frowned, confused.  
"What do you mean?" Mikasa leaned back, shrugging her shoulders. "What are you on about, Mikasa?"  
"I don't know how to explain it. The midget rescued a boy. His name is Eren." Mikasa regarded her plate for a moment before something seemed to strike her and she surged the plate towards Armin, plopping it into his lap.  
"He's probably forgotten that he needs to feed Eren. Why don't you bring him this." Armin opened his mouth to protest, but Mikasa cut him off again.  
"Armin, I know I'm your only friend. It might do to make another." Then her expression grew dark, and Armin physically recoiled from her. "And I don't trust the midget to look after him properly."  
"What-" Armin began, but Mikasa was darting over to him, holding open the door and wheeling him inside Levi's bedroom, with a quiet,  
"Feed him, and make sure he's ok for me. He's had a rough time." Then she disappeared out of the room and closed the door behind her, back to her guard post.

Armin stared at the empty boudoir and after a brief moment of confused glancing around the velvet apparel of the room- eyes seeking the stow away, he mentally berated himself for his stupidity. This 'Eren' would be hiding, he wouldn't just be standing there out in the open for anyone who entered the room to discover. He cleared his throat and hoped to make his voice sound non-threatening and approachable.  
"Eren?" No response, other than the whisper of a breeze blowing through from the open doors to Levi's balcony.  
"Eren, my name is Armin, I- brought you some food." Was that a shuffling noise? "I bet you're hungry. Do you like eggs?" Yes there was definitely a shuffling noise coming from...towards the bed. Was he underneath it? Armin wheeled himself closer.  
"I'm harmless." His chair came to a stop just before the foot of the bed. There was more shuffling and then part of the skirt of the valance which swept to the floor was lifted. Armin was greeted with a pair of bright green eyes, and the top portion of a boy's face peering up at him. His mouth and lower nose were covered by the fabric of the valance but Armin could see that his skin was tan, a mop of tousled brown hair falling partially over his forehead, kept in place with - probably sweat-, and full eyebrows arching downwards into a frown that looked very natural on his face. Armin regarded the sweat on the boy and wondered why someone as notorious for cleanliness as Levi would take him in...no sweatiness aside, Levi was not only risking his sanitisation-centred sanity, but his physical safety for this boy. Armin smiled down at him, and wondered if the hard polished wood under the bed was uncomfortable to lie on.  
"There you are." He said, partially to himself, then, remembering the food on his lap again, he pointed to it.  
"Are you hungry?" He repeated. Eren stared up at him.  
"You're in a chair with wheels." He said, and Armin felt his smile falter.  
"Y-yeah." fiddling awkwardly with the rim of the plate on his lap, Armin wondered if Levi'd chosen this boy for his similarly blunt personality. Eren continued to stare, and Armin hadn't even realized till now that part of him had been hoping for an escape from the outside, and what had happened, in someone who didn't know anything about it. But he was in a chair, of course people were going to notice and ask about it. Of course Eren would want to know what had put him in the chair and even if he didn't explain what had happened, being asked still forced him to think about it.  
"Can I come out to eat? Will Levi be mad?" Would he? Who are you to Levi? Why did he take you in?  
"Of course he won't be mad." Said Armin, even though he had no clue how Levi would actually react. The top half of Eren's face disappeared under the bed, and after a moment of more shuffling noises, and one loud bang followed by an exclamation of "ow!" Armin saw him crawl out from under the side. Eren stood, stooping slightly to brush the non-existent dust off his knees, before standing peering hesitantly at Armin. Armin sat still as Eren approached him, his hand extended.  
"My name's Eren,"  
"Nice to meet you, Eren."  
"I'm not supposed to be here." Eren said.  
"I know," said Armin, finally reaching up and taking Eren's hand. Letting go Armin smiled, lifting up the plate,  
"Here's your food." Eren surged forward with a sudden enthusiasm and took the plate, darting to quickly settle himself cross-legged on the floor facing up at Armin. Armin watched him eat with interest. Was Eren rarely fed? Or was he just a naturally enthusiastic eater? Eren was wolfing down the eggs, and Armin could only watch on with a mixture of mild distaste and awe. Armin was never the most socially capable person, but inquisitiveness drove him to distract Eren from his meal.  
"Eren, if you don't mind me asking." Armin said softly, and Eren looked up, cheeks bulging. what to start with? Why was he here?  
"What were you doing before Levi took you here?" Eren's eyes watered as he forced the huge mouthful of food down his throat. He coughed and balled his fist, thumping his chest, and if Armin had working legs he would have likely surged forward to pat his back to help him. Eventually Eren settled, and clearing his throat his eyes met Armins.  
"I worked for my master, Erwin. He is - was - very influential in medicine, so you might have heard of him. Erwin Smith. He took me in when my mother fell ill, and I was one of the only slave's he took with him here from Germany. The other's he just re-hired new from around here...He was so kind." Armin noted both the change from 'is' to 'was', and how Eren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his expression turned uncertain when he claimed his master was kind. Armin only smiled and nodded encouragingly. Eren turned his gaze -was it always so intense?- back to the eggs, but he seemed to have lost interest in eating them. "That was nice of him taking you in." Eren smiled happily, then frowned and the smile disappeared, replaced with an earnest expression.  
"Yeah- I wasn't..." He stopped suddenly, and looked like he wasn't sure he should continue. Armin let sincerity lace his tone.  
"You can tell me Eren." Eren glanced up at him for a moment, then sighed, scooting himself on his butt closer towards Armin, leaning up so he could whisper. "I wasn't...originally from a 'slave' family." Armin barely managed to contain his shock. "Do You remember the epidemic a few years ago?" Armin raised his eyebrows and nodded.  
"Yes i do."It had been a terrible illness. Infected people's skin went ghostly white, they became bedridden, delirious and died painfully. It was called the Pale Epidemic. I remember the panic about it spreading, but by the time it got to the south a cure'd been found." Eren nodded along. "Yeah well - my family wasn't rich, but the wealth we did have was tied in well -" He paused suddenly, his cheeks turning red with shame as he glanced to the knotted rug beneath his feet, "slave breeding." He managed, grimacing as he shyly regarded Armin, gouging his reaction. When Armin offered nothing other than an expression of pleasant interest he blundered on. "Well the Pale epidemic kind of...killed all our best slave's and we'd no income. And then mother got sick, and dad kept running off saying he was going to find the perfect specimen to breed from like he was too afraid to acknowledge mum was sick..." Eren's eyes turned glassy as he trailed off, clearly lost in the memories. Armin waited patiently. "Anyway, mother knew Master Erwin, she'd met him a few years back when he'd bought some fighter's off of her. Y'know for hobby - our fighter's weren't that top quality, but Erwin didn't seem to mind. He wasn't fighting them...professionally or anything." Armin wasn't sure what to think. He'd never met a slave bred for fighting, but the idea terrified him. For those slave's it was literally survival of the fittest, and from what he'd heard they were a dangerous force to be reckoned with, and loyal to the death to their Masters and Mistresses.  
"How did you end up-" Armin began, but his question was cut short by the door opening and a frazzled Levi entering, who regarded Armin and Eren with an expression of quiet abhorrence. His hair was still sticking up at ends, and his nightie fluttered about his upper thighs with the mild breeze coming from his balcony.  
"What." Was all he said, his voice low and dangerous after he'd schooled his expression back to it's usual display of mild disdain. Eren started spluttering, and Armin fumbled with the wheels of his chair, spinning himself cumbersomely to face Levi. He had yet to perfect his manoeuvrability skills in the chair.  
"I brought Eren some food." Levi glared. "You'd not fed him." Armin offered and smiled pleasantly, his brain screaming questions at him in the background as to why he was aggravating this already angry man. Levi glared. Well he glared harder.  
"That was my mistake." He drawled, and Armin was definitely getting an adrenaline rush from this. Levi radiated danger. Armin wheeled himself forwards, and they trailed past each other as Armin made his way to the door, the air thick with tension. He came to a stop just as he reached the door, pausing as if he'd forgotten something. "- Your friend is nice." He offered, studying the finely cut panels of the door.  
"How long is he staying?" He turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw Levi peering at him, scowling.  
"..."  
Armin sighed, "Well, I hope to visit Eren again," Eren's head shot up at the mention of his name.  
"I've been a little bored lately, it'd be nice to have a friend who is also...immobile." Ooh, Levi's expression of barely contained fury was worth it. Why was acting like this? Was he bored from being bedridden in hospital with nothing to do for several weeks. definitely. And this was fun. But he should probably be nicer to Levi next time. Levi was probably just shy and bad at communication. The scowl was probably natural, as Eren's seemed to be. They were quite similar actually.  
"I'll see you two later." He reached for the door handle.  
"Wait!" A boyish shout froze him in his tracks and he twisted his head awkwardly to look at Eren, his surprised expression mirroring Levi's as they both regarded Eren. Eren seemed surprised at himself too, but took a deep breath and glanced up at Levi imploringly.  
"Can Armin stay for a bit?" Levi opened his mouth to protest. "Oh please! I've only had you for company-" Armin stifled his surprised laughter with a cough  
"-and Armin is nice." Levi seemed unmoved. "  
Leeeevi." Eren whined, Armin noted their dynamic with interest. "It's boring. All I've done is hide under your bed and listen to you have sex. And sleep." Eren claimed, and Armin and Levi both looked uncomfortable, Armin realising how...unconventional it must be for Eren having to hide and listen to a whore do his job all night. Levi tapped his foot in contemplation, and Armin was just about to turn the handle and quietly excuse himself when there was a frustrated sigh and a relention of. "Fine, but not for long, I have clients later tonight." From Levi and Eren was whooping excitedly and rushing up from his spot on the floor, running towards Armin and grabbing his chair, wheeling him towards the bed like they were age old friends already, while Armin felt a little bewildered and Levi looked exasperated. Armin wondered again what reason Levi had for taking in Eren, and by the looks of it Levi was wondering the same thing. Eventually, and against both of their protests, Armin was heaved up on to Levi's bed by Eren, who quickly propped him up with pillows, ignoring Levi's mutterings of "That cushion was hand woven." And "don't touch that silk with your sweaty hands, you need a bath"- Eren jumped up and settled himself at the foot of the bed, staring at Armin expectantly. Levi gave up on firing protests that fell on deaf ears and excused himself from the room, heading off towards the balcony.  
"So." Armin's sight was drawn to Eren's eyes, which seemed to shine a little in the dim lighting. "Are you a whore too?" asked Eren. Armin felt like around Eren, he was in a more innocent world.  
"...I am...but not right now." Armin gestured towards his legs hoping that Eren wouldn't want details about how his spine had been snapped.  
"Will you be a whore again when you get better?" Eren asked. Armin's heart sank at Eren's innocent question.  
"I don't think you can get better, from what I have." Armin said. His noticed his hands had bunched in the lovely silken fabric of Levi's duvet, and hurriedly smoothed out the creases he'd made.  
"The Madame is working on a transfer deal for me. To a whore house that has other people like me." A whore house of cripples, for people with distorted and violent tastes. Armin dreaded the day he'd have to leave.  
"Oh I see." Eren seemed unsure. "So..." Why had he asked Armin to stay and keep him company if he could only say 'so...' and make awkward conversation?!  
"Do you have any hobbies?" Armin considered the question.  
"I do." He said.  
"So, what are they?" Eren was frowning at him as if he was the one who was bad at conversing.  
"I like to..." He'd suddenly forgotten. What were his hobbies? He knew he had some. Oh. "Read. Reading. I love books." Armin finished lamely, but Eren looked ecstatic.  
"Cool! What books do you read? I haven't seen books since...I was a kid, and even then I was really terrible at reading them and mainly looked at the pictures." Armin smiled and Eren grinned back, blabbing on. "Mother said I was too hyperactive to sit still long enough to learn to read." That drew a chuckle from Armin and Eren looked enraptured at having drawn such a reaction, eyes widening as he openly stared. Levi re-entered the room then, his hair a little wet- but combed back into it's usual immaculate state, a bath wrap tied around his waist. He was carrying a crystal decanter filled with amber liquid and balancing three glass tumblers in his other hand. Eren's attention was directed to Levi now.  
"What's that?" He asked. Levi's scowl deepened -how does he even scowl more - as he placed the glasses on his stained oak duchess, glasses clinking together as they made contact with the hard wood.  
"Alcohol." Levi said, lifting the crystal stopper and raising the decanter, pouring himself a finger. Levi regarded Armin and Eren then. "Want some?" He raised his glass and gestured it towards them, the liquid sloshing about with his actions. Armin shook his head smiling politely.  
"No." Said Eren, with little eloquence. Levi shrugged, and lifted the glass to his lips, tipping it and his head back as he downed the con-tense in one go. He sighed head tilted back, eyes closed for a moment he just stood there, very still. Then he slammed the tumbler back on the duchess, and quickly poured himself another glass.  
"Rough day?" Enquired Armin, hoping his question wouldn't entice a negative reaction. He hadn't spoken with Levi very much. If he had it was never a full conversation, just the passing nod of the head in the corridor or hurried small talk. And he'd always been jealous of how richly Levi lived. He was the favourite whore. The most expensive, and most sought after lover. Armin pushed down his feelings of self depreciation.  
"Yeah," said Levi, his lips muffled by the glass he was holding against them, teeth clinking against it. He moved the tumbler so that the cool glass of it rested against his cheek.  
"Try waking up to a sweaty brat clinging to you, hogging all the bed space."  
"Hey!" Eren exclaimed from the bed and Armin smiled genuinely at his reaction. He didn't hear any true annoyance in Levi's words, so their interaction seemed rather sweet. Eren shifted closer to Levi, eyeing the liquid he drank with interest despite his earlier rejection of it. Nobody spoke for a while, so an awkward silence settled between the three of them. They were all ignoring boy shaped elephant in the room, during which Levi downed the rest of the glass in hand, and filled another. Armin had so many questions, but he kept them to himself.  
"Should you be getting drunk?" Eren said, his tone accusing, and Levi scowled at him, marching himself to the bed, so that Armin could now make out the water droplets still settled in his hair and bare chest, and how the wrap had gone slightly see-through where it was wet. He felt his face heating up, and looked away, luckily, Levi's attention was on Eren. He had always envied Levi, he had always disliked him, and he had always liked him.  
"Listen, Brat." His voice was reminiscent of a growl, and drew Armin's attention once again. "You don't know me, so don't start acting like you can judge me or what I do." He held up the tumbler of liquid for Eren to see, and then raised it to his lips, parting them and tipping back the glass, downing it to emphasize his point.. "If I want to take a shit, I will take a shit. If I want to get drunk I will. If I want to drown you in the bath tub..." He trailed off threateningly. Eren raised his hands defensively.  
"Ok, ok. Sorry. Just, you said you had a client..." Eren laughed. Levi huffed out a breath, and then trotted off, placing his glass on the duchess, then returned to other side of the bed, flopping himself down on it beside where Armin was propped up by pillows.  
"I've only had a bit..." He trailed off, and Armin thought he might be a little tipsy. "Besides I have a while before I next work." He murmured, closing his eyes, before cracking them open again to peer at Armin. "It was a rough day. Yesterday. Night." He frowned, and then closed his eyes again. Eren shot Armin a worried look. Armin could offer nothing in response.  
"Go have a bath." Levi mumbled. Armin assumed he was talking to Eren. Eren pouted. "The water is warm." He said comfortingly. Levi could be comforting?  
"Ugh do I have to share your bath water?!" Exclaimed Eren.  
"You snooze you lose." Armin tried not to laugh. "I had a bath first, I get the freshest water." Levi rolled over and his face came into contact with Armin's shoulder, making Armin tense, and feel suddenly unsure where to look.  
"You." Levi said. "Armin, go help him bathe, he's probably stupid." Levi lifted his head to glare at Armin, then flopped his face down on the bed again. "Make sure he doesn't drown." That's all very well, thought Armin, but what could he actually do if Eren started drowning? He was a cripple?  
"It's cute that you care." Eren sulked, and Levi told Eren to fuck himself as the bed dipped and Eren wandered away to the balcony, leaving Armin behind, probably wisely because Armin wasn't capable of being physically helpful, but probably not-wisely actually because now he was alone with Levi, who despite living in the same sex house with for over three years, he barely knew. Thank you Eren. Not that he knew Eren that well either, but the latter was proving easier to get along with already. Armin was silently panicking as he tried to think up a line of conversation to pass the time,  
"You sure you don't want a drink?" Levi asked. He didn't actually seem to be drunk, as Eren had accused him, just exhausted. There was something frightened and desperate about Levi at the moment. Armin smiled a little at the idea of getting drunk. Maybe he should let loose a little.  
"Alright." Levi grunted, and shifted away, returning momentarily with a glass for each of them.  
"A toast." Muttered Levi. "To my impeding death." Armin spluttered, already sipping on the liquid. "And my idiocy." Added Levi, for good measure. Armin smiled to himself, tipping the glass back and downing the lot, grimacing as the liquid burned his throat.  
"What do you think?" Levi asked.  
"Um, I really don't know much about alcohol." Said Armin, a little nervously, he eyed Levi only to find that Levi was staring right back, eyes boring into him.  
"We don't know each other, Armin." Armin objected to being stared at like this. "But Eren's a good...he'd good." Levi stood and trailed off to the duchess and retrieved his decanter of whiskey. He brought it towards the bed. "I need to know you won't tell anyone about him." Levi sat himself beside Armin, getting comfy on the cushions before balancing the cups between them and pouring them both another drink. "Too many people know already." Armin lifted his glass to his lips.  
"I won't tell a soul." He meant it, and then he took another swig, Levi followed suit. They lay side by side in silence for a while, Levi sighing heavily on occasion. Armin reached over and put a hand on Levi''s chest in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Levi hadn't even dried himself before getting in to bed. "You're still wet, Levi." Armin noted, and Levi raised a suggestive eyebrow, making Armin's face go flaming red. His eyes darted towards Levi's lips unintentionally as he called Levi a pervert and hit him lightly on the head. Their little to-and-fro died down into a tense silence, Armin being struck suddenly by the fact that they were alone and drinking together in Levi's lavish bedroom. Levi leaned closer to pour them both another whiskey. Armin swallowed and wondered if Eren was going to take a long relaxing bath, or just clean himself up a little.  
Armin downed another drink and felt a refreshing dulling sensation wash over him. Like none of his actions mattered, and the pain and sadness from what had happened to him was drifting into the distance.  
"I'm sorry, brat." Said Levi, jolting Armin out of his stupor. He realised he had been staring down at his useless legs and flushed, glaring up at Levi. Waiting for the questions that he didn't want to answer. Instead he god a hand on his thigh. "Can you feel that?" Armin blushed,  
"Not really."  
Okay." Armin could tell they were both having inappropriate thoughts. It seemed like an obvious direction for things to go in. They were both unhappy, depressed as fuck whores. And now they were both drunk, it would take effort to avoid hooking up. His heart sunk. No, he was an idiot, maybe before the accident it would have been a possibility. But now he was a broken and pathetic cripple, and Levi was still beautiful. Levi leaned in and their noses brushed.  
"Not really, means sort of. It means you will probably get better." Levi leaned away again and downed the rest of his drink, before he lay back. Armin was thinking about how close they had just been to each other when there was a knock at the door. Levi shot up to a sitting position. The door opened and a maid entered the room, her beady eyes trailing over the space, to the pile of dirty sheets placed in the corner, which she started towards. She bundled the clothes into her arms, then regarded Levi and Armin with a suspicious expression.  
"Since when are you two friends?" She asked.  
"Why is my private life suddenly your business?" Levi glared at her and she scowled back, a nasty smile curling her lips.  
"In the hallway when I was talking to Mikasa, I thought I heard three voices in here." She said, and Armin felt his chest seize up.  
"Who's the third person?" She wondered, putting a finger to her chin, her eyes widening innocently.  
"Some other bitch from the lower levels." Levi sighed. "You have work to do."  
"Ooh do I know her? Should I go say hi?" She queried, making to move towards the balcony, to which Levi darted off the bed and stalked towards her, and she reacted to his threatening advancement by letting out a shrieking giggle and darting out of the room, away from him, taking Levi's dirty sheets with her as she left. Levi stood with his back to Armin, facing the closed door. Armin heard him mutter "shit," several times under his breath, and watched as he ran his hands through his hair roughly.  
"That went fine." Offered Armin helpfully from the bed, and Levi spun on him, marching towards him, and jumping atop bed, standing upright on the bed over Armin to look down at him, his feet either side of Armin's waist.  
"It did, but what about next time? And the next time? It can't go well every time." Levi hissed, his eyes uncharacteristically wide. Something Armin couldn't describe prompted him to lift his hand and seek out one of Levi's, which was balled into a fist at his side.  
"AAAARGH!" Eren's pained scream from the balcony made Armin flinch and retract his hand.  
"WAAAH!" Levi leapt of the bed and was out to the balcony before Armin had time to blink.  
"You idiot!" He heard Levi yell.  
"It BURRNS!" Eren wailed.  
"Come here."  
"Waaah!"  
"Keep still, you fucking brat." He heard frantic splashing noises  
"You're getting me wet!"  
"You're not dressed anyway, and fuck you - It BURNS!"  
"Right-" There was a loud splash, and then a muffled gurgling sound that had Armin assuming that Levi had shoved Eren's head under the water, and perhaps planned on making true his threat to drown the boy. Then there was another loud splash and an Eren-sounding gasp, followed by the spluttering of -  
"You bastard! trying to kill me!"  
"Serves you right, idiot brat."  
Eren huffed.  
"-soap out of your eyes?"  
A pause.  
"Yes." Eren mumbled. "But it still burns."  
"That's because you're stupid. Don't even know how to use soap." Levi sounded almost fond.

Armin ended up staying around another half hour, Eren grumbling as Levi handed him some plain looking Linen pants and shirt to wear, as Levi himself pulled out a lose red embroidered robe, that hung open to reveal his chest, and opened with a wide slit to show his pale legs. "Sorry it's not silk, your highness." Armin heard Levi tell Eren when Eren complained about his own outfit being scratchy. Eren discovered a small collection of books on one of the shelves of Levi's walls, and the three of them lay on Levi's bed side by side while Armin read, Levi looking strangely calm - something Armin assumed was due to his previous alcohol consumption. But Armin had barely finished only the first chapter when Levi spoke up and told him it was almost time for his clients to start coming in, so he'd better go. Armin's heart clenched a little, but he knew it was unavoidable. Eren made noisy complaints, and insulted the value of Levi's company, to which Levi only blinked in response. Eventually Armin had to interrupt Eren's rather rude behaviour towards his host, suck up his pride and ask him to help him to his chair. Eren begrudgingly complied, but the lonely feeling that was growing in Armin's stomach was almost completely eradicated when Eren beamed at him as he sat him in the chair, and somewhat shyly asked him to please visit again. Armin glanced at Levi, who nodded from his lazy position on the bed, and then returned Eren's smile, promising that he would. Armin bid them both good night, before wheeling himself to the door, sparing Levi and Eren one last look before he knocked on the door and Mikasa opened it for him to wheel outside again.


	9. The bath tub

Perhaps it was the alcohol. Perhaps Levi was tired of this lifestyle? Perhaps some part of him missed the days he had spent fighting tooth and nail to survive. There were many things that could be used as hypotheticals to explain Levi's behaviour that night. Perhaps all of them were the reason, perhaps none of them. Perhaps a combination of all the possibilities, plus one. One that would have, previously, been deemed inadmissible in regards to Levi's general lacking ability to form human connections. Perhaps Levi, was going soft.

 ---------------------------

The door clicked shut and Levi was left alone with the boy once more. This quiet that seemed to exist between him and Eren, which was so loud that it rang in his ears, making a whirring noise of whispers, echoes, the faded shells of noises and conversations once heard in this room. Levi closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He was always a fucking philosopher when he drank. Thinking nonsense. He heard the boy sigh.  
"Tired?" He inquired.  
"Nah."  
"..." Good, fantastic, lovely. Great conversation. So fucking fulfilling. This is why Levi never socialised.  
"You'll need to hide now." He had had much more to drink then he intended.  
"Under the bed?" Levi couldn't risk the boy making noise again.  
"No, the balcony. I'll lock the doors and draw the curtains. Take blankets and cushions to make sure you keep warm. The temperature may drop tonight."  
"Alright." and Levi heard the patter of his footsteps and the swing of the balcony door open and close.  
He sighed, relishing in the numb warmth in his limbs and the soft cloud over his mind which successfully numbed the emotions he'd been drowning in since he'd taken Eren in.  
Taken Eren in. Right now that sentence bothered him a lot less than it would have earlier. Levi smiled a little, then sat himself up and headed towards the closet, to fetch the outfit he'd prepared for tonight.

Levi wanted badly to go to the Madame and find out who he would be seeing tonight, but they only consorted with each other when Levi did outside trips. He would be doing this blind. Clients never went onto his balcony though. Once, a duke, to smoke a cigarette. Levi had allowed it, the duke had blue eyes and a smile that sent pleasant shivers down his spine - though sex with him had always been hilariously quick. Levi was left to watch the man smoke feeling thoroughly bemused and unsatisfied - not that what he wanted was important whatsoever. Easy money. Levi had sometimes found his own satisfaction in a whore from the lower levels. Male of course, slaves were not permitted to have sex with the opposite gender outside of breeding orders from their Masters. At this place there were no breeders. Despite there being highly effective methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies, they were difficult to obtain. The law made them so because of an understanding that if one controls sex, one controls everything.  
Using this unspoken universal understanding, naturally the breeding masters were amongst the wealthiest in the nation. There was no longer any natural selection, the life was created by them alone. If you had broken the law you had to go to them for termination. And Levi had heard tales of the most expensive breed whores. Ethereal, flexible, obedient. Bred into such submissiveness they barely had consciousness of their own. They could assume any role tasked with, a chameleon of personalities. And fighting slaves - there were still very traditional means of breeding in place for them.  
Harsh breeding laws also apply to not only the masters but the 'normal folk'. Those born outside of slavery, were not to fraternise with a slave of the opposite gender - to prevent 'interbreeding'. And if the wealthy freeman had needs they absolutely couldn't fulfil with their own sex, they had to pay large sums of money to get it, lest word spread of their...misgivings... They could even end up in jail.  
Levi revelled in that. Revelled that even the free were still chained to something. Bound to the law. And punished when they broke it.  
That was one of the reasons the Madame's great house was famous. Not only were the sex workers not breed-whores, but there were rumours, that for the right amount, the Madame was willing to let her patrons fuck whoever they liked. Who knows? There could even be some half-breeds amongst her sex slaves? There were one or two slaves here who must have been working for longer than 30 years, yet which seemed to have aged hardly at all. Longevity like the great masters. A mighty gift, unbefitting of something so lowly as a slave. Purgers come occasionally, but the Madame always seemed to procure the right documentation to deter them. She is after all, a very resourceful woman.  
Purgers. Levi had once lived in fear of them. He was once masterless, of his own violation, it had seemed there was no place for him in this world. Fear and starvation were his companions. Intimidation and violence his tools. The madame and her house was like a beacon of light, guiding him out of the darkness at that time. The unregistered became registered. The filthy became clean. The free became a slave. And seduction became his weapon.

Almost ironically, in terms of his thoughts earlier, the first client that entered the room that night was a woman.  
Her black hair curled and fell down to her small waist, she was dressed in a red satin dress that clung suggestively to her form. Her dark eyes were lined with kohl, and her lips painted as red as the blood that thrummed nervously through Levi’s veins at the sight of her. She stood against the oak of his doorway, still as a painting, as immaculate and well presented as one too. Not a strand of hair out of place, her expression well schooled, her posture and countenance trained to show her obvious nobility - if her attire did not first make it apparent.  
Levi wished she were a painting. But she smiled and advanced toward him with catlike grace, a predator confidently approaching its cornered prey - and paintings do not move.  
A smirk wide enough to flash perfect white teeth, a thin finger under Levi’s chin, tilting his head up so he could look into her deep maroon eyes. They were framed with thick lashes, which were so long they fluttered a little every time she blinked.  
“Ah~” she purred happily. “I like this one.” She stated, flashing him a full grin. Levi noted her canines were disproportionately large, and sharp looking - a trait not uncommon amongst royalty. She really was a predator. Levi quirked the corner of his lips up in response.  
“Mistress, you flatter me. I am short and frail, unbefitting of one so beautiful as you.”  
She giggled at this, but shook her head, her curls tumbling about her as she did.  
“No, no. You’ll be perfect for my needs. Don’t think i’m too stupid to notice what you’re doing.” Levi raised a brow at her in question, but she moved to shift his robes from his shoulder, conversation forgotten.  
“Frail you say!” She muttered, “you’re wonderfully toned.” Levi fought with himself not to shift about uncomfortably as her cold hands began to trail over the muscles on his shoulders to his chest. The Mistress hummed happily in appreciation of his form. Levi could feel his heartbeat in his throat.  
He closed his eyes, and death flashed behind them, her skin was pale grey like the creature Master Erwin had summoned, and she was wearing a dress like this Mistress’ - only it was made of blood. Death smiled at him and his panic overcame his sensibilities. His eyes opened and he staggered backwards away from the Mistress, all pre tense of courtship gone. He was already harbouring Eren, he didn't need this.  
He heard her sigh and his eyes flittered to her face. She looked disappointed.  
“I paid good money for this.” She said quietly. Levi’s eyes widened, and he lost whatever small amount of control he usually had over his tongue.  
“Was the good money worth my life? I think not. I will not be party to this, I have no intention of being purged.” A bark of harsh laughter.  
“You behave as if you have a choice in the matter!” She mocked him.  
“I think the Madame will agree with me, that whatever you pay is not worth as much as keeping me alive to draw in other patrons and clients.” This only served to widen her grin.  
“You think wrong. I didn't come here in disguise. The madame knows who I am, and she said you’d say that.” She approached him again. “Have no fear; i'm too well connected, even if I am discovered, there can be no repercussions.”  
“Surely it is not worth the risk! The cost of this and you could have had a hundred slave girls please you!”  
"Then I will have myself a hundred slave girls after I have you. I have made up my mind. Girls cannot give me this.” she regarded him hungrily. “You can.”  
Levi was afraid. “How can you think you're above the law? Nobody is.”  
“I am.” She cupped his cheek. “Daddy owns the Purge. Now do your job, or I will get rid of you out of spite. I'm owed a few favours.” Levi relaxed a little at her admission of high status and power and scowled as he grasped the woman roughly by the back of her head, fingers clutching onto soft hair, and brought her down into a violent kiss. He bit her lip and she gasped a little. He hoped that she’d be furious, but instead he found himself lifted into her arms and carried over the room to the bed, where he was thrown. Sprawled on his back in shock she advanced towards him, her eyes glinting dangerously - and Levi gulped.

She was warm, so warm, and her skin soft. He lost all bounds of caring, he could touch her and feel her and he loved to be in control. After, as he lay panting, red-faced and eyes glazed, he felt her shift away from him. He looked at her, and saw her once immaculate hair ruined a little by sweat and movement. She corrected it in his wardrobe mirror, before turning to him and speaking;  
“Don’t be alarmed that you came inside me.” Levi blinked groggily, unaware that he had done so, “I will find a method of stopping the seed from quickening.” Then she donned her dress and was gone with a secretive smile. Levi slowly came to his senses - which were apparently very dim - and cursed himself with a thousand swearwords. Then he sighed and rose from the bed, stretching his legs before heading to the balcony to quickly clean before his next client.

The boy startled him just as much as he did the boy when he stormed out onto the balcony.  
Eren was reading half naked by the bath, clearly undressing with one hand to get in - something that both aroused and irritated Levi, as he had wished to clean himself. But he was at the same time, happy that Eren was finding things to do.  
"Turn around and move away, I need to wash." Eren scowled at Levi, remaining where he was in a petulant manner. Levi took a moment to give the kid a very disapproving look before he gave a noncommittal shrug, untied his already basically undone robe, and marched over to the tub - swinging his legs over and getting in - ignoring the startled protests Eren let out when he was splashed.  
There was barely enough room really, for the two of them, there legs ended up tangled a little in the middle, but Levi could still lay back, rest his head against the hard rim, close his eyes and sigh. Relaxing. Warmth. Silence.  
"Levi?" Shut up.  
-splashing noises-  
"Oi, Levi." More splashing.  
Levi grunted. "What is it?  
"Thank you for saving me." Levi's eyes flew open, the corners of his mouth curling in amusement.  
"What's this? Gratitude?" A puff of laughter through his nose, and Levi closed his eyes again, relaxing back against the tub. "If I die for this, at least I can hold on to the fact that you were thankful." A friendly pillory laced his tone.  
"No, really!" One of Levi's eyes squinted back open at the boy when he felt a hand clutch on to his leg. "I'm really thankful..." Levi watched the boy carefully as he began to crawl closer. His legs were shifted out of the way, one of the boys hands were on the rim of the bathtub by Levi's head, the other underwater at Levi's side as he hovered over him. The ripples in the water reflected in the boys eyes as he gazed down at him, and Levi struggled to gauge his expression. All was quiet except for the bathwater, as the boy leant down, his eyes focused on Levi's lips. They were inches apart, desire roiled through Levi's body, he could feel the heat emanating off the skin of Eren's face, his eyes were closed. He almost didn't stop him. Almost.  
"What are you doing, Eren?" He murmured. They were so close that his lips brushed against Eren's as he voiced the question. A voice screamed inside Levi's head about how soft those lips were, Levi forcefully shut it out.  
"Thanking you." Eren's breath washed over his face, and Levi nearly grabbed Eren by the back of the head, to pull him into a kiss the way he had done to the Mistress earlier. Nearly.  
"You don't have to do this, Eren." Levi reached for the boy's shoulder and pushed him back, lightly, so that there was enough distance between them to look clearly at his face.  
"If you want to kiss me, kiss me. Levi furrowed his brows, "But don't kiss me as a fucking thank you. Or for any other reason for that matter - other than genuinely desiring me." Levi suddenly found his cheeks heating up and glanced bashfully down at the water between them. "Got it, brat?" He mumbled, hoping to maintain his bravado. He saw Eren nod from his peripheral, and when Eren shifted away Levi felt a strange loss, that could only be soothed by the subtle and continued contact of their legs.

Levi was sucking some sweaty old bloke's dick when an angry knock at the door interrupted. Levi withdrew, and breathed freely, feeling grateful at the rather unorthodox interruption, as it smelled / tasted like the old guy hadn't washed in a while, and glanced inquisitively at the door - ignoring the offended spluttering of his patron.  
"Who dares to interrupt!" Oldy demanded - he was so old even his voice sounded wrinkly. "I've paid good money for this time - get back here!" Levi started towards the door, just as it swung open, something that was greatly surprising as it was basically forbidden for a paid session to be interrupted.  
"Levi." It was Mikasa, Levi frowned at her in accusing confusion. "The Madame requests your presence." She spared a glance at the old aristocrat with his pants around his ankles. "At once." She said firmly.  
"Now see here!" Demanded Sir Oldfuck furiously, "I've paid good money for this and i'll be damned if-"  
"-the mistress has already granted you a full refund." Mikasa advanced, placing a bag of coins in the gobsmacked man's hands. "I'm afraid this is a matter of grave importance." Levi's stomach ran cold as it began to twist into knots. Had Eren been discovered? Had his fraternisation with a female master been discovered? He inwardly cursed his recent behavioural trend of putting himself in deadly positions. Levi spared a curt nod for the client, who spluttered angrily as Mikasa moved to escort him away, and marched himself briskly out of his quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments give me life!!!!!!!! (pls)


	10. The Purgers

Levi stood stock still in front of the grand doors of the Madame's main office. Fear had him rooted to the spot. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. The two words were the main thoughts resounding inside of his paralysed mind. A shaky breath, and he raised his hand to knock, three times, as was custom.  
"Enter." Came the muffled voice from within. The doors swung open and Levi shuffled forwards, eyes downcast as he was too afraid to raise them.  
"Levi." Came the grand voice of his Mistress, the Madame. "These officers have requested an interview with you." Levi's head snapped up, and dismay made him nearly lose his ability to stand as he recognised the black, simple uniforms of the Purgers. One of them, a gentleman with cropped black hair surged forward, a clipboard in hand, the other hand moving to straighten his rounded spectacles.  
"Concerning some events which occurred yesterday evening." He spoke in a clipped tone, his voice not particularly deep for a man. Levi nodded at him numbly, and the officer turned to regard the Madame in a brisk manner. "May we speak privately?" Levi blanched inwardly at the lack of respect he addressed her with, but if the Madame was offended she did not show it. She rose in her seat from behind her large carved desk.  
"You may use my office." She said softly, gathering a few notes and then walking calmly out of the room, she gave Levi a sideways glance as she left which was too brief for him to pertain the meaning behind; though it probably meant something like; 'what the fuck have you been up to?'

As the door shut behind the Madame and Levi was left alone with the two Purgers, he felt the familial sensation of being cornered prey. The officer with the clipboard surveyed Levi with calculation in the momentary silence, while his companion remained quiet in the shadows.  
"Your slave name is Levi, no last name?" Inquired the more talkative of the two.  
"None, sir."  
"Interesting." Muttered he, scribbling down a few notes. What he found interesting about that, Levi did not know - though it was likely just an intimidation tactic. Levi steeled himself.  
"And your birth mother is..?"  
"Dead sir."  
"Hmmm." He scribbled more notes.  
"Of what occupation is your lineage?"  
"Forgive me sir, i'm sure you've already done your research - what is the real reason you're h-"  
"-just answer the questions." A kind and patient smile filled with an underlining threat. Levi gritted his teeth.  
"Fighting, sir." He relented.  
"Mhhhm." Hummed the officer, returning to his note-taking. The scratching of his quill was beginning to irritate Levi. He probably wasn't writing anything. He was probably drawing a picture of a cat. A vein began to throb in Levi's temple.  
"When you were six years of age, you were taken in by Sir Tommon, a fighting slaver in the poorer Shiganshima district?"  
"I was."  
"Before which, you were doing what?"  
"Living with my mother in a Lord's cookery."  
"Which would make your lineage cookery, and not fighting."  
"my father was a fighter."  
"Would that make you the result of illegal slave-breeding?"  
"..."  
"come now, don't look so serious - it's all in the past, you're registered currently to the Madame are you not? That offers you a rather remarkable modicum of protection." A small smile. Levi sensed hidden resentment.  
"The breeding was ordered, by the lord my mother served. The act was to be on display during one of his large dinner parties, on the dinner table, to amuse his guests while they ate." Levi deadpanned the story which always made him feel an old rage, cool and patient and never-waning.  
"I see." More notes were taken.  
"May I ask if there is a point to this interview?"  
The officer smiled cooly. "Just a check up - nothing to worry about. Making sure everything you say lines up with the records the Madame gave us, that's all." He returned to his notes, and Levi's mind began to whir. Was the Madame under investigation? It wasn't really that surprising, there were far too many rumours amongst the nobility for the Purgers not to have gotten wind of it. Purgers seemed to always hover about the house like flies unable to find any shit to land on.  
"You mentioned something about yesterday evening earlier, officer...?" Get the fuck on with it.  
"Ah yes, I did." The Purging officer glanced at his silent companion, before popping his quill in his front pocket and lowering his clipboard. "Everything seems to be in order. shall we proceed Machial?" The other officer stepped forward out of the shadows - and Levi was immediately thankful for his ability to show little to no reaction on his face, as the officer's face was grotesquely scarred and burnt.  
"The evening before last..." Mused the officer called 'Machial' in a rough voice. "You were sent on an outside...rendezvous," he said the last word with barely concealed disgust, "to Master Erwin Smith's 2nd private mansion in this, the rose district, were you not?" So that's where he was taken. He wasn't usually at liberty to know the exact location of his outside trips - his Clients being the shady motherfuckers that they are.  
"I was." Stated Levi boredly, feeling his stomach twist knots.  
The scarred man seemed to be musing with something as he began to pace around Levi for a moment, before he paused, his eyes widened as if something had just occurred to him.  
"You know, the strangest thing was reported to us - isn't that so Branson!" He grasped the shoulder of his fellow officer, "the occupants of Master Smith's household - the nobles scheduled to visit there, everyone, were found dead just yesterday morning!" They both regarded each other in mock surprise and shock. Officer Branson furrowed his brows and adjusted his glasses as if thinking heavily about something.  
"Why, why..." he began unsurely, "that would be just after-"  
"-the slave Levi visited the mansion." Officer Machial finished his sentence for him, and they both went quiet and turned slowly to face Levi.  
Levi smiled grimly. "What on earth are you implying?"  
There was surely ice in Levi's blood now, as he'd never felt so cold. This was far, far worse situation than Eren being discovered.  
The burnt one grinned. "I think you know exactly what we are implying." He said darkly.  
"Impossible. How could could I have done that, alone?" Levi could barely contain his fury and exasperation.  
"Impossible, yes - for the untrained." Levi's head throbbed as he glared at the other officer. "But did they not once call you the short devil?"  
Levi's eyes widened as memories of his rapid rise to fame flashed behind his eyes. His master Tommon had been a very poor man before he'd bought Levi for a couple of sickles off the Lord his mother served. Levi refused to even think his name. Levi had been indestructible, even at six he was feared. He became known for severing his opponents at the neck with his nails which he grew long and sharp at the time. 'beasty' the others called him. 'short devil.' the crowds named him.  
"This is stupid. I did not kill them." Levi bit out firmly.  
"Then help us out, and we just might not have you executed for the murder of a much beloved Master." They both smiled at him, oozing a sickly sweet kindness. Levi was filled with dread.

"If you two were desperate for my help, all you had to do was ask." Levi gritted out. Of course they didn't think he could have killed all those people. They were fucking with him.


	11. The Escort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (note: servants are free, but very low class.)

Levi spent one quarter of an hour speaking with the purgers, and then he was dismissed. He and the two officers shook hands outside the Madame's office under the careful scrutiny of the Madame herself, then the two officers bowed in a flashy and deriding manner towards her before sweeping away together down the hallway and out of sight. Levi hovered a moment unsure of what to do. He made to leave after the Purgers but the cool voice of his Madame stopped him.  
"Levi," she spoke softly, "come." She turned and made her way back into her office, a place Levi had been greatly looking forward to not being within for a while. He gritted his teeth and followed her inside.

"Madame-" he began but his Mistress raised her hand, silencing him.  
"The law clearly states that you cannot discuss with me the details of a private interview with any purge officer." She smiled down at him. "It is not why I called you back in to my office." Levi scrutinized her expression, but if the appearance of Purgers in her establishment alarmed her, it wasn't showing on her face.  
"A very wealthy patron of this house has requested an Escort to a private ball being held at Sir Walton's castle, tonight." She continued, "The request is so last minute I would have refused - if not for the extremely healthy sum of money offered to me." Levi fought off a smirk at this. His Mistress nodded towards a case put to the side of the room. "Don the clothes inside the case, there will be servants to assist you, and then make your way towards a carriage outside with haste. I would have sent you away immediately had it not been for those pesky officers..." She bit her bottom lip.  
"Madame, I have just been on an outside trip, someone else..."  
"I know it is not customary for me to send you out again so soon, but the patron has requested you, personally." Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
"May I ask who?"  
The Madame let out a small chuckle. "I'm afraid the ball is a masked one, so he may not reveal his identity to you unless he wishes to."  
Levi gritted his teeth. "I love a mystery." He stated dully, and bowed to his Mistress before grabbing the wooden case and exiting the office.

Levi was sulking in the carriage. He was garbed in a dress of finest velvet and silk, beautiful beaded embroidery decorated the bodice, and the skirts trailed down to the floor in an arch, black and silver. It was heavy. And the corset made it hard to breathe. He was wearing lace stockings and makeup over the barcode on his wrist. It had taken forty five minutes to assemble his outfit properly and by now the time had to be past the witching hour. Luckily the parties of the privileged tended to flow on well into the early morning. Levi hoped he wouldn't be expected to stay that long, he didn't have the temperament to deal with drunken aristocrats till six in the morning. On another note; his wig was itchy. The servants who'd dressed him had assured him that he looked beautiful, an affirmation that gave him little comfort and only served to further sully his mood. Though, when he had observed himself in the mirror before leaving, he had thought himself that he looked everything like a Marquise, and not a slave. The mask he wore was of thin silver wires, and did little to obscure his face - which was probably a precaution taken by his client so that he would be recognised by him. Why the patron had bothered to disguise him as a wealthy Marquise, he knew not, but he resented him greatly for it. After an awful journey that took far too long, during which Levi regarded the heels on his feet and wondered if he'd prefer sucking Sir Blachley's stinky dick to wearing these painful little creatures - the carriage finally drew to a stop, and his door was opened for him by a servant garbed in gold. Levi wondered if he were to pay the part of a Marquise, and chose to for fun. He stuck his nose in the air and descended the carriage steps in the snobbish manner he had observed the royals move with. A carpet lead to the front steps of Sir Walton's grand castle, and he stopped momentarily to gaze upwards at it.  
"Not bad." He murmured in appreciation before ascending the steps. Servants bowed at him and let him pass without question, something he was thankful for. Tonight he was Julie d'Aubigny, a beautiful Marquise, and not a low-bred sex slave who was harbouring an unregistered fugitive. The entrance hall was huge and bustling with activity, tables of foods Levi had never seen before lined the walls, a chandelier as large as Levi's bedroom bathed the whole hall in golden light. Everywhere the wealthy and privilege milled about, talking, eating, laughing. Servants served people trays of delicious foods, they were dressed elegantly in golds and whites. The slaves stood naked in rows along the walls, their only garments were golden collars. Levi observed the crowd with distaste, and wondered halfheartedly if he should try to find his patron. A futile thought, as he did not know who had even asked him here. He was spared the need to search though, when he spotted a familiar person, dressed in silver, her dress less formfitting than it had been earlier this evening. In her hair was a small tiara whose crystals glimmered in the light shed form the chandelier, like a conversation from one pointlessly decadent object to another. Levi hoped desperately that she was not the one who had summoned him, the risks involved if his identity as a male slave were revealed…However her gaze passed over him, and there was no indication in her expression that showed she was the one who’d hired him for the night. She did appraise him up and down, but in a gesture that resembled a lecherous bystander, and not a patron. A hand grasped his shoulder and he startled, spinning around on the spot- nearly losing his footing in his heels - to look up into the face of a very tall masked man, whose perfectly straight teeth gleamed in a welcoming smile as he gazed down at Levi. Levi squinted up at the man suspiciously, his mask went into a shroud that covered his hair colour, and there was a shaded glass over his eyes so Levi could not see them at all. Levi raised a brow, unimpressed with this man. “I take it you’re the one who asked me here?” He asked quietly. The man’s grin widened and he nodded, extending his arm for Levi to take. The man lead him through the room, pointing out various foods he thought Levi should try, and commenting occasionally at how well Levi looked in his ball dress - and how nice his hair looked long. Levi strained his ears, but the man spoke so softly and the buzz of the crowd disallowed him from hearing the voice clearly enough to recognise it - and he quickly lost interest in the real identity of the man. It was likely he was just trying to create an air of mystery around himself to try to draw Levi in. Some aristocrats liked to play games, see who could seduce the professional seducers. Betting each other on who could snag a prostitute's heart. Lord Arwinne was famous for losing his mian castle in a bet like this. Levi's client chatted idly with the other masters and mistresses, some had also taken great care to hide their recognisable features - others had barely hidden who they were at all - with painted colours around their eyes. Levi observed that the ones who did not wear masks over their faces were the one's whose expressions were the most calculated and controlled. Probably a secret joke they were making with themselves - their faces were the masks which nobody could unveil.  
Another man approached Levi's client, and took hold of his arm excitably - apparently able to recognise him. He whispered hurriedly into the taller man's ear and then rushed off. Levi sent a questioning look up at his client, who, when he noticed Levi's stare, smiled softly in response.  
"There is to be a show soon. I think you'll enjoy it very much." He said and Levi forced a coy smile.  
"Will I now? Oh gentleman who knows me so well?" Levi nudged the man with his hip playfully.  
The man licked his lips, "you will. The fight will be an excellent one, some slaves participating are my own - I raised them to be indestructible. I'd like you to see what I've managed to achieve!" He spoke proudly, and Levi's stomach dropped a little. He faked interest.  
"Fighting? Oh! Will there be a Medley?!"  
"A melee, my sweet, and yes there will be one." Said the man fondly, placing a hand in Levi's wig-hair. Melee's were bloody - often ceremonially used to weed out the weak, leaving only strongest standing alive and able to breed. To the wealthier master's and mistresses it was a popular sport - high stakes were put into bets and purchasing the strongest fighters. Levi had escaped his fighting life long before he was considered old enough for breeding - something he was thankful for. A desert fork tinkled against a champagne flute, gradually gaining Levi's attention and the conversations in the room dwindled out. The focus was now on an old bald man with accentuated smile lines around his golden eyes. He smiled at the room for a moment.  
"Welcome, my humble guests." He began, his voice kind. "I wish firstly to thank you all for coming here on my birthday, to drink all my wine eat all my food and quite frankly cost me a fortune-" there were a few scattered laughs, Levi observed his clients small chuckle. "-but I won't go on too long about how I will hold this against you all till the day I die, which hopefully will not be too soon -Martha I know about your inheritance plot,- because we all know the reason why we're all really here." He paused to breathe, and Levi noticed one of the servants standing around him stiffen slightly, and hazarded a guess that her name was Martha. "Entertainment!" The man boomed, and there was a roar of appreciation from the nobility in the hall. "I am hosting here tonight a great tourney - a melee!" The crowd cheered. "It's why you are all come here tonight - not to see me, so now without any further ado; Lets watch some slaves kill and fuck!" He exclaimed and there was clapping, the servants advanced, pushing back the crowd and setting up chairs and stanchions - metal poles on round bases with detachable ropes for make-shift fences - while Levi used the commotion to 'lose' his patron, and wandered away to a food table a little further away against the wall, away from the condensed crowd. Levi hated crowds, being pressed up against groups of people. It had nothing to do with his height, and not being able to see anything when he was in large groups. - Well maybe that had a little bit to do with it. He sampled a few of the foods his Client had recommended, but found them all to be sweet and not to his tastes at all. A strange meat pie did take his fancy however, and he was enjoying the creamy, and savoury flavour when a friendly laugh startled him. He turned, his mouth still filled with pie, to see the mistress he had fraternised with earlier this evening. she was standing near the table, observing him, an elegant hand brought up to barely conceal an amused smile. Levi quickly swallowed the pie, and did his best to wipe his mouth clean 'daintily.' He cleared his throat.  
"Can I help you?" He did his best to make his voice sound soft, and higher - but not in a comical manner. He did all right.  
"Do I know you?" She asked, still smiling in a way that annoyed Levi greatly, like she had some special secret.  
"No." Said Levi curtly, hoping he really did look like a girl. Then tried to offer a smile like the one she was giving him. The Mistress pressed on,  
"You look awfully familiar..." She trailed off as she advanced, raising a hand to tuck one of Levi's false black locks behind his ear.  
"A beautiful woman like you would be hard for me to forget." Said Levi, his tone a little cold - but the compliment made the Mistress beam.  
"No, you're right." She agreed immodestly, withdrawing her hand from his ear and offering it to him palm facing downwards. "Mistress Heller." She introduced herself, appraising him with her eyes hungrily, "and you?" Levi took a hold of her hand and raised it to his lips - brushing them against it quickly, she jerked her hand back with a loud laugh.  
"Silly - boys are supposed to do that!" Levi's wicked smirk concealed his momentary panic and self-irritation.  
"I just couldn't help myself." Said Levi wickedly. He needed to introduce himself now, but what the fuck was his name again? What the fuck. Shit. Uh. J-Judie? No, Julie, AH! "I am the Marquise Julie d'Aubigny." He announced, relieved that he managed to remember and not make a fucking fool of himself. Mistress Heller's eyes flashed as they flicked to Levi's mouth as if she were about to grab him and kiss him, "a pleasure,"' she paused, "to make your acquaintance." Levi smiled, wanting very much to run. "Julie?" Levi was lucky he'd just had to use his own fake name, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted to his Client's call from behind.  
"Oh there you are!" Levi faked relief as he turned to look up at him. "I thought i'd lost you to the crowd!"  
"Though they may try, no number of people could ever keep us apart!" said the man, and it took every ounce of strength and self-restraint inside Levi not to roll his eyes. The man offered Levi his arm with a slight flourish that Levi found overly dramatic. He took it gingerly and spared Mistress Heller a glance, only to see her rolling her eyes as she turned away and strutted away towards the crowd. Levi and his Client followed suit.  
The crowd was a hum of electric energy, he could hear bets being placed already with amounts at stake that made his eyes bulge. To his dismay, his client had got him space right at the fucking front, so he would have a good view of the monstrous carnage. Yay. The client himself sat eagerly beside him, shaking his knee as he tapped his feet with anticipation. A vein throbbed in Levi's temple at the movement he tried to, but couldn't ignore - so he placed his hand on the Client's knee, to still it.  
"Don't be nervous, i'm sure your slaves will do well." Levi used an assuring tone, but he was actually mocking him.  
"I'm not nervous, i'm exited to show you how well bred my slaves are. You will be proud of me." The man smiled, and looked back to the empty ring - which was a good thing as Levi couldn't suppress the disgusted and confused look that flashed across his features. Did this client somehow know about his past? Was this a sick game he was playing? Surely not. 

A short plump man with a waxed blond moustache and balding head entered the make-shift ring, which had stanchions directly through the centre, separating it into two halves. On the outside of the circle sat several men and women sat behind wooden desks, with slits at the front.  
"Assemble." Bleated the man into his brass speaking-trumpet which amplified his voice, and the slaves who were lined against the walls like decorations became suddenly animated, shifting and marching through the crowd to the stanchions. The one who reached the ropes first, unhooked one and let himself through, the others also following him through the gap. The crowd murmured excitedly as they entered the ring, a few people even tentatively reaching out to touch them as they passed before squealing and retracting their hands. The slaves lined up in two straight rows inside of the circle, one row for the girls and one for the boys.  
The man with the trumpet re-hooked the rope. "Ladies and gentlemen - Place your bets!" The next ten minutes was a flurry of arguing, pushing and shoving in which Levi nearly lost his seat. The short man animatedly introduced each slave - pointing out their finer muscles, or making claims to their agility, their combat statistics, their number of kills. They numbered 50 in all, 25 girls, and 25 boys. His client pointed out his own slaves to Levi when the fat man approached them - just two, one male one female, both blond and then he betted on them both to win. The bets were recorded on papers which were passed out and handed to the people sitting at the wooden desks, who slipped them through the slots. Then it was time for the melee to begin.  
"Gentlemen, behind the rope!" Ordered the fat man, ushering the male row behind the divide in the centre. "Now it is tradition for ladies to go first, but..." A dramatic pause, the audience silent and captivated. "I have had a special request for the men to have that honour this time." Confused mutterings, "it seems somebody has an earlier bedtime, and wants to see his slave fight before he falls asleep!" He explained, and was met with laughter. Levi's client leant over to murmur in his ear;  
"he's talking about Lord Simmon, he has a habit of falling asleep before one o clock." Levi faked a small chuckle at this, and his client leant away.  
The fat man rushed over to the side of the circle near the desks to retrieve a red flag, then he re-approached the centre with an ominous flair.  
"Gentlemen!" He addressed the male slaves with a grave vibrato, and they looked at him with a variety of glassy and bored expressions. "As you know, tonight for most of you will be your last." He said it sadly, and even shifted his trumpet away from his face to use the flag to wipe away a tear. Then he composed himself and the trumpet was back at his lips. "but for some of you, this will be your ascension to glory!" He exclaimed and then gestured at the females with his flag; "Regard the women across yonder fence. Are they not beautiful and terrifying beasts? Do you not wish to pass your genes on with the strongest of them? For the glory of creating the next generation? To create an even more ultimate warrior?!" The crowd roared excitedly, but the slaves remained silent. Levi could sense tension between them, see them bracing themselves to kill. His Client's huge muscled blond was the most expressive, as there was frown on his chiselled features."Tonight you will have the chance...May the strongest win." He said, and many members of the audience said the last line with him. He raised the red flag above his head and held it there for a moment, all the slaves eyes were on the flag, and everyone else's eyes were on the slaves. Then he brought it down swiftly.


	12. The Fighters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gore. you're warned

None of them bore names in the ring, only numbers painted in gold on their backs. They were all different heights and races, they were all muscled, and they were all taller than Levi. Levi found himself on the edge of his seat before it had even begun, tension straining his neck and shoulders, anticipating the carnage - fearing it. The slaves stood straight, tall, proud, strong; they knew they were going to die - the rope ring surrounding them might as well be a barbed metal cage, as there was no thought of escape in them. Their minds were as owned as their bodies. Levi was feeling a sick nostalgia. His limbs static and electric. His survival instinct jittered nervously and he felt a rush of adrenaline as if his mind thought he was in the ring with them. The flag was in the air high, and then it was brought down.  
In the first three seconds Levi saw three people die. One had his neck crushed by a blow from the slave beside him, the huge blond's fist colliding with the back of his neck, breaking it. His eyes were wide as he fell down, his eyes were green. At the same time as he took down One, Two's other arm stopped an attack from Three, and the two of them spared for a second before Two feigned an attack at number Three's stomach, who moved to block it, where he instead brought both his hands up to Three's head in a powerful clapping motion which crushed his skull between his palms. Levi saw blood and the pale grey flesh of brain spatter out from his hands.  
Down the other end of the line Seventeen tripped up number Eighteen who had attempted, like the majority of the line to spread out into the space the half circle afforded them. Seventeen clambered on top of the fallen slave and bashed his face in quickly and effortlessly. It was chaos, the slaves moved unnaturally quickly, and Levi saw how the Lords and Ladies had to squint while they watched them. So this is what professional slave fighters looked like. His former master Tommon had wanted Levi to go professional. Seeing the slaves in the ring in action made Levi even gladder Master Tommon had passed before they got the chance, Levi was good but he wouldn't like to die like this. Fighting slaves were so indoctrinated, they didn't even seem have free thoughts. So used to carnage and murder and obedience. He especially would not want to die gruesomely for entertainment. There were now odd couples sparring, most were pacing, sizing up partners, one or two were avoiding action - hiding on the sides trying to wait it out. Occasionally a body would fall to the floor, it seemed a popular tactic was to watch and wait till one slave was making a final blow, before rushing in and killing the victor while he was distracted by his victory. Ironic way to go.  
The fat man bleated out the scores and deaths into his trumpet, to boos and cheers from the crowd. Levi stopped watching the fighting at some point. He let his eyes wander around the crowd, finding the screams of dismay when a favourite went down and the whoops of joy when it seemed a favourite was doing well much easier to watch. He was trying to avoid the flashbacks threatening to break out in front of his eyes. So he closed them - and immediately regretted it.  
  
A man towered over him, Levi barely reached up to his hip. They were in a penned off alley and several dirty men held cards close to their hands, the smell of foul cigars permeating around him. His Master, Tommon watched desperately from outside the pen, the only spectator who seemed frightened. The master of his opponent sat lazily with the men playing cards, resting a beer on his stomach. Levi glanced down at his nails - they were long, sharpened and dirty, still with the blood of someone from yesterday - and then up at the man. He felt bitterness towards Master Tommon. He was only supposed to fight kids his age! This wasn't fair, It wasn't fair, It wasn't fair!  
  
Levi wrenched open his eyes - only to see the huge blond one, 'Two' break a man's arm just inches away from where he was seated. He heard the crunch of bone even over the roar of the crowd, the man flailed and wrenched his useless arm free, stumbling backwards and closer to the ropes. For a moment, Levi was afraid that he would fall outside the stanchions, but then the blond one drew his fist back and ran at the other slave, bringing his fist into his face so hard that it was crushed inwards. Levi was so close that some of his blood splattered on his cheek, and a tooth fell into his lap, he froze as he felt his Client lean over to gently wipe the blood off with a handkerchief. Then there was a moment between the huge blond slave and Levi's Client. They stared at each other, and the exited energy his Client was exuding was almost palpable. Levi heard him congratulate his slave; "that's my boy," he said, his voice low and husky, a biting grin on his lips. Emotion flared in the blondes eyes, Levi couldn't tell if was pride or rage - then another fighter locked his arms around the blonds neck from behind, and began squeezing. The blond struggled but failed to free himself, his face slowly gaining colour as he fought pointlessly. Levi cast a glance sideways to check his Client's reaction - most of his face was concealed by the mask but his lips were smiling. Levi wondered how much it would cost him to lose this, he knew it would be expensive. He wondered what the smile meant. The slave's struggles became weaker, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his mouth gaped open and closed, desperate for air -and then he was limp. Levi closed his eyes but felt the wind shift as the slave fell to the floor in front of him. He kept his eyes closed despite the memories resurfacing behind his lids, ears sensitive to the blunt forceful sounds of death that continued inside the ring.  
  
His heart was beating very fast, inside his head he was seven years old, dirty little street rat running down an alley. He'd snuck out of his bunker in the shack Master Tommon kept all of his child-slaves in, because Sammy, another slave boy with white-blond hair and dirt coloured eyes kept crying - and Master said that if Levi killed anyone outside of the pen again - he'd be strung up and all the other slaves would get to strip off pieces of his flesh to feed the cats with. He didn't want that to happen but he had a temper, so he removed himself from the situation. He slipped into the busy streets and blended into the crowds meandering through them, looking at stalls of fish and fruit and other foods that made his stomach growl. Pausing in front of a stall that sold all manner of freshly baked breads - he licked his lips. A fat bulky man who wore a long fur coat despite the stuffy warm weather approached the stall - and Levi seized his chance, ducking behind him. As the man moved to speak to the vendor, Levi used his bulk as a cover to snag himself two loafs and dash off - away from the crowds and into the first dark alley he came across. Secure in an alley behind a stack of old boxes he sat himself and laughed a little and smelt the bread - it was fresh, it reminded him of the kitchens and his mother.  
  
A scream made him open his eyes and he was back in his seat, there were nine slaves left - ah fuck, eight. Already? These remaining slaves had spark in their eyes where they didn't at the start;. they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. They knew they could win. Win and you live, just a little bit longer. Survival instincts are always surprisingly strong in fighters, suppose they had to be - breeders need that, you can't have your slaves realising that a life so immersed in death isn't really a life at all. Levi closed his eyes again, this time welcoming the flashback that he knew would be painful to see.  
  
Levi had dug a hole in the centre of his bread - picking out and eating the soft centre and leaving the outer crust - something that always used to annoy his mother. A whining noise made him start, and he jumped up onto his box, drawing his hands up threateningly to show his sharpened nails, only to spot a small dog. A puppy. It was dirty, it's fur clumped together and matted with mud, but it's eyes were a bright and deep gold, wide as they stared expectantly up at him.  
"What do you want." He deadpanned. "go away." It just stared up at him and he scowled at the pitiful thing. He glanced down at the bread in his hands and the whining picked up again, "you can't eat this. It's bread." The puppy looked undeterred by this statement and continued to whine at him, even wagging it's tail vigorously as it realised Levi was paying it attention. It was skeletal, Levi could see it's ribs through the matted fur. Levi scowled a moment more, then shrugged his shoulders and tore off a piece of crust. He wasn't going to eat it anyway. He threw it on the ground in front of the pup, and watched as it sniffed the bread, and then retired to whining at Levi expectantly.  
"I don't have any meat." He told it. It Jumped and yipped at him. Levi sighed and jumped down from his wooden crate, making his way out of the alley towards the light and people and noise - he would be expected to report soon for training and he didn't need people figuring out he left Master's property when he pleased.  
  
Gasps drew him back to the present, and his eyes flew open. There were three slaves left fighting, they were all watching each other carefully, sizing up who was the biggest threat - not wanting to make the first move. Levi wondered what all the fuss in the audience was about, but then he noticed it, right in front of him - the blond one was moving. Groaning a little he shifted on the floor. He should have been dead, Levi had watched him suffocate up close and personal, but no here was definitely moving and alive. He rose slowly, the muscles of his back rippling as he rolled himself upward. He stood feet shoulder width apart, his head bowed. Slowly he looked up towards the three slaves still sizing each other up. They hadn't noticed his revival yet. The air felt still, Levi felt his chest tighten. The slave didn't move, he just stood there, Levi saw his Client ball his fists from the corner of his eye, then the slave moved, it all happened so fast Levi was barely able to keep up with his eyes. The Blond slave charged towards the three, ducking down to the floor to grab the ankles of the first one he reached and tugging, the slave yelped as he was pulled over, the Blonde turning to pull his feet up to his shoulder - his head hitting the floor with a nasty slapping noise. The other two slaves had only enough time for shocked expressions before the huge blond swung his arms around and propelled the poor now-unconscious slave around in a circle, nocking the two of them to the floor. Blood spilled as skulls impacted with each other. One of the two slaves sprawled on the ground scrambled to stand again - the other lay moaning, his head cracked and leaking. The Blond discarded the slave he was holding, tossing him to the side like he were a plank of wood, and advanced the slave who stood shakily to his feet. There was real fear in his eyes - Levi wondered how long it was since that slave had genuinely felt fear- the blond one stood in front of him - his number was Eleven-, a metre apart. All was still again, except for the wounded slave's groans on the floor, and the loud shaky breaths Eleven was taking. Then the blond one kicked out at Eleven's chest, there was a loud cracking noise that rang out in the silence of the hall as Eleven's ribs were broken. Levi realised the fat coordinator had stopped commentating at some point and was just standing there in shocked silence. Eleven doubled over, and coughing as he charged at the Blond, managed to get a few hits into his chest before the blond grabbed his head and twisted, breaking his neck. Eleven fell to the floor and was quiet, the blond moved away and walked slowly towards the slave who was still moaning as he lay on the floor. He knelt beside him, avoiding the pool of blood and brain matter leaking from his head, and placed his hands around his throat - applying pressure and waiting calmly. The wounded slave relaxed into death and after a moment of silence, the fat coordinator composed himself and declared Blondie the winner. Levi's Client couldn't have looked more pleased.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear this is all important and i'm not wasting your time. The plot i have devised is annoyingly long for a fan fiction. Apologies.  
> 


	13. The Market

Levi was running through the market when he spotted a meat stall. He paused in front of it, hesitating before he made a rash decision. Minutes later he found himself back in the alley. The puppy was still there, curled in on it's self behind a box. It looked so pitiful. Levi threw the skinned baby rabbit he had stolen from the stall down in front of hit. The puppy startled, yelping. It looked up at levi, then questioningly down at it's feet at the rabbit. After a few tentative sniffs it began to eat. Levi left quickly without looking back, but two days later he found himself back in the alley with several strips of beef. He found the puppy curled up in the same spot. He clambered onto one of the boxes and sat down, his legs dangling down beside the animal. He nudged it with his foot and it woke, stretching out it's legs and yawning - baring sharp teeth - it's yawn high pitched whine. It shook it's head, ears flopping as it did so and regarded Levi blearily. Levi threw a strip of beef at it. It stared at him a moment longer, before sniffing the meat tenderly and then quickly snapping it up. It looked back up to Levi expectantly, standing and wagging it's tail. Levi held out another strip, which the animal gently tugged from his hand and gobbled up. More expectant whining. Levi held out the last strip, and the puppy quickly ate that one up too. It continued to whine at him.  
"I don't have any more." He told it irritably. The puppy surged forward and licked his still extended arm. Levi recoiled in disgust. The puppy jumped up onto the box beside him, and began to titter, shaking. It seemed to want to approach him. Levi scowled.  
"What are you doing." He growled, and the puppy yipped and crawled into his lap, clearly terrified of him but still wishing to be close to him. Levi coughed, it smelt terrible, it's fur was so dirty. He put his arms around it and the puppy sighed through it's nose, relaxing into him.  
"Go away." He muttered to the animal as he held it tighter.  
  
"How did you like the performance?" Levi startled and nearly dropped the strange tiny cake he was holding. He turned to smile up at his patron.  
"I found it riveting." He mused, and popped the cake in his mouth, concealing a distasteful expression in reaction to the condiment's sweet flavour.  
"I thought you would. I think the second half will be even better." He leaned over Levi to reach a cracker covered in alarming orange coloured paste. Levi hummed in response, staring down the length of the table. He really couldn't be assed watching another 'performance.' The first half of the melee had been awful enough. His ears rung with the laughter and idle chatter of the people around him, and he thought of leaving. He thought of Eren.  
"After the performance, I hoped you would join me for a drink in the room I have reserved here." Levi's eyes flicked back to his patron. The client regarded the cracker he held, still leaning over Levi.  
"Why yes of course, my Lord, I would love to...thank you for this evening." Levi smiled. "It's not often I get to experience such decadence. You've done me a great honour." The Client nodded, leaning away.  
"I thought so." He seemed pleased, though Levi couldn't really see his face. He looked away, "there is someone I need to speak to now, you'll be alright for a while I take it?"  
"I'll manage without you." Levi did his best to sound sad.  
"I'll be back soon, my sweet." He patted Levi's wig, and then left, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Levi scoffed and wondered up the length of the table, stuffing his face with random foods, feeling irritable and bored. He eyed the trays of champagne the servants were carrying - conscious of the budding headache forming from his earlier alcohol consumption wearing off. He avoided the trays though, something telling him that he needed to keep his wits about him here. He still felt like he were in a pen or a cage of some kind, the feeling hadn't left him since the fight began. Something wasn't right. It wasn't safe.  
He ate chocolate cake to make himself feel better.  
Before he knew it he was reseated in the front row. The fat co-odinator was barking excitedly into his trumpet about the action packed first half, and his high hopes for the fighting in this second half. The Blond one remained alone in his half of the ring, amongst the litter of bodies. He stood still and strong, staring into nowhere with a determined fixation, ignoring everything around him. The girls were lined up in order of number as the men had been earlier. Levi took note of his Client's other slave, who was short and muscular, her ice blue eyes striking, piercing and cold, her long nose slightly hooked. He felt a chill in his bones, a growl in his throat as his fists clenched unconsciously. His instincts were aroused in the presence of a threat. She was dangerous. Levi fought to calm himself 'you're not in the ring' he told himself. A kiss to his wig alerted him to the return of his patron, who moved to sit beside Levi once more. Levi closed his eyes when the man raised the flag, determined not to watch this one.  
"May the strongest win."


	14. The Client

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there are lots of sudden flashbacks to Levi's childhood. I hope they're not too confusing and are easy enough to decipher from what is happening in the 'present'.  
> **please no judge judge i have not edited or anything yet

Levi didn't understand himself. He didn't understand why he did certain things, Or why the things he chose to do always seemed to end tragically.  
He had taken the puppy with him eventually, taken her home and kept her hidden under the floor boards of a small sequestered shed, which sat unused in the far corner of Master Tommon's property. He managed to sneak out a pail of water to wash her with, and beneath the dirt her fur was a warm golden colour. Levi named her "Gold." It wasn't a very inventive name, but Levi liked it and Gold seemed to too, so It would do. He snuck her food when he could, and eventually she started to fatten up. Her skin didn't cling to her bones in the unsettling way it used to. Levi wished he could take her out and play with her in the yard, but he couldn't risk it. She was quiet, which was good, and Levi trained her not to bark when she got exited or afraid. When Levi had an especially bad day he would go to her, and somehow with just a look she made it all seem better. Today Levi was travelling in the back of a cart. Sammy, who always cried was with him, and Ginette, a girl with eyes as dead as his own traveled in determined silence with them too. The cart rattled and jolted as it moved, the stink of the dirty street met his nose, the sound of mud splattering, and the horses hooves on the cobbles filled his ears. He'd not been eating properly, he had to feed Gold and they were sharing his small meals. He stared tiredly at nothing, his legs dangling over the edge. When they pulled to a stop Levi yawned and stretched, and then looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. They weren't at any of the usual spots. The cart creaked as his Master, Tommon got off it and Levi listened to the loud squelch of his boots as he trudged around the cart. Tommon, stopped in front of Levi, narrowing his eyes.  
"You look sick boy." He stated. Levi shrugged. Master Tommon eyed him a moment longer before he sighed and reached for the pad lock holding their chains to the sides of the cart. "Come on then." He said, unlocking them and tugging on the chains. Sammy and Ginette stood silently, Levi jumped off the edge of the cart, and Master Tommon lead them to the front of a great building, tall stone steps lead up to wide white pillars which framed rough oak wood doors. One side of the door was ajar and Levi made for it, but Tommon stopped him by tugging the chains.  
"Stay put boy, till they give us permission to enter." He said, and Levi scowled at the mud on his shoes. Sammy scowled at Levi for getting their chains tugged on - and Levi poked out his tongue at him.  
Levi was quietly trying not to panic. This wasn't where they usually went, something was off.

After being let into the unfamiliar building by a large and scary looking man, Levi was separated from Sammy and Genette, and taken into a dark wood-caged pen surrounded by raised arena-like seats. The floor was dirty and stained brown and red with fresh and old blood. There was a group of frightened children at the other end of the pen, separated from him by a wooden gate. One was crying and holding a filthy teddy bear, the sight made his heart race in his chest as he stood in the darkened room, he was hunched over slightly, his claws out, his feet wide apart as he stood. On the raised seating outside of the cage he could see people wearing expensive clothes, relaxing and chatting idly. They looked wealthier than he'd seen since he was sold to Tommon. They had plates of food by their seating, most of them holding cups of wine. There was an air of anticipation. A voice rang out.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen! For our second act I give you, this young boy. Now, don't look disappointed - in the streets they call him the Short Devil! Note his claws; he uses them to scratch open his enemies skin!" Levi breathed as evenly as he could, looking for an escape from the pen. It was roofed, but wooden and he doubted it was sturdy wood. It probably hadn't been checked on -strengthened- since it was built, and it seemed old, the wood dry.  
"Now watch, my dear audience, as this Devil is let loose on the innocent!" The wooden gate separating him from the other children was raised and one of the boys on the other side cried out and hid behind another child. No. Was he really expected to do this? These people were sick. Levi swallowed around the lump in his throat and glared around him at the cage bars.  
"Just look at that expression! He is truly a beast!" Levi noticed one bar of wood diagonally in front of him looked like it had been damaged by borer. He headed for it. He wasn't going to do what he was told. Not this time. He'd disobeyed orders before, snuck off Tommon's property, taken Gold in. He'd broken the rules before and he would again now! Levi struck out at the old wood with his foot, a satisfying cloud of dust set free with the impact. Levi heard laughter from the audience, but it didn't deter him; the wood had let out a cloud of borer dust, and cracked. Just a little. He struck again, and again, the wood splitting more and more. The voice rang out again, laced with amusement; "Look! It seems the beast wants out of his cage! Has his master not tamed him well enough?" He taunted, Levi ignored him, and kept kicking till there was a satisfying crack, and his foot caused it to split. He got a few splinters in his ankle as his foot passed through, but it was no matter. He withdrew his foot and brought his hands to the plank, yanking as hard as he could to tear it away.

Levi had been right to fear the blond female. She moved like lightening, and was just as deadly. One touch struck her opponents down. Levi gripped the edge of his seat. He hadn't intended to watch this, but here he was, unable to look away. She was atop another female slave, the fight happening just mere metres from Levi, her number was Eight and the other girls was Six. She had managed to pin the other girl down, her arms trapped against her sides under her thighs as she straddled her. She was squeezing the life out of her, her expression cold and detached and when the one beneath went limp another slave, number Twenty Three ran up behind Eight, putting her in a headlock, she struggled and managed a headbutt, but Twenty Three's hold remained true. Levi wondered if the events might take a similar turn to the first half. He glanced at his Client, but could decipher nothing behind his smile. The blonde one struggled more, and the slave behind her screamed in irritation before biting into her ear and tearing it. Eight howled and twisted around out of the hold, ducking down as she did so. She thrust her hand into Twenty Three's stomach, open palmed, and Twenty Three stumbled backwards, wheezing winded. Eight quickly advanced again, striking at her face, the impact drove her to the floor. Eight paused, raising a hand to the blood trailing down her neck from her ear and regarded it, her expression vehement. Then she strode swiftly to the fallen slave, and stomped on her face, her bare foot breaking the girls jaw. The girl let out a gurgling moan, he jaw offset, choking on the blood. Eight left her to die without delivering the final blow. Levi leaned back and let go of his seat. The blonde girl was unnatural, and she would win. There were still Eighteen slaves left, but Levi knew she would win. Levi thought he saw smoke rising from her ear, but blinked and it was gone. He'd surely imagined it. He closed his eyes, but no flashback came this time, he could only hear the sounds from within the circle - louder then the captivated audience and the ringing in his ears.  
“And Eight deliverers a crushing final blow to number six, no doubt six is down for good! Note the force behind that kick, ladies and gentlemen, what truly impressive leg muscles! Uh oh, what’s this I see? It seems eight has a challenger! Number Thirteen, she’s a reigning champion of the melee for the past ten years, an incredible - and unbeatable beast, born and bred in this very province - who will reign victorious here? The sprightly new comer? Or the weathered battle-champion? Thirteen advances, bowed low, her eyes challenging - Eight looks almost bored! Oh! A kick to the face and Eight is reeling - she certainly looks less bored now! Eight retreats slightly and takes up a defensive stance - her weight low, legs bent, note how her fists are raised high to protect her face - no doubt she won’t let that happen again! Thirteen charges!  
   “What a spectacle! Even the other slaves have ceased fighting to watch!” It was true, Levi observed that the remaining slaves - just ten, had indeed gone quiet, spread out to silently observe this duel. “The outcome of this will likely determine who will be the victor! For who could beat such a formidable foe, who could best the winner of this - clash of titans!” Thirteen was indeed weathered, her skin was littered with grotesque scars where Eight's was smooth and unmarred. She moved as fast as Eight, and there was a deadly brute force to her swings. The female fighters often had more interesting battles as they were more technical, while in the male fights the outcome was largely strength based.  
"Strike one, two, three - and Eight is down! No - she's on her feet again- such stamina! That had to have hurt! Thirteen swings again, and Eight ducks down, she's struck Thirteen down with one blow. Thirteen is winded, and Eight is - has...crushed her skull." The room was quiet. Then the remaining slaves moved, Levi thought they might revert back to killing each other, but it started with number nine. She knelt down, and bowed her head. Then the rest began to kneel, all heads bowed in a circle around the blonde women, she stood still, perhaps she was perplexed - her expression had retrogressed to its earlier state of boredom, but the way her shoulders tightened told Levi that she was shocked by the proceedings. Then she swept forward to number nine, took her face in her hands, gently, gazing down at her, a subtle thumb stroke to her cheek, and then she twisted with a violent jerk - breaking her neck. She then proceeded to the next kneeling slave, taking her head in hand and repeating the action. And she broke their necks one by one. They go quietly, and even the audience is put off. This quiet acceptance of death most unusual to them. Some of them go with a smile - there is discontent shouting from those who had bet large sums of money only to have their slave just give up. Number eight walks calmly towards the stations, and separates one without permission from the coodinator - causing more unsettlement in the crowd. Fear. They should fear her, what if she chose not to be obedient any longer? They would stand no chance. She marched straight up to the other blond, and pulled him into a kiss. He kissed the blood trail down her neck, clearly beginning the mating ceremony without cue. Levi’s Client is grinning again. The crowd is in uproar, but quickly settle down at the prospect of another kind of show. The slaves aren’t usually this enthused and the audience is quickly sated, eagerly clutching their seats and watching greedily at their blood porn. Levi looks away - feeling the odd urge to give them some privacy.

Levi let out a small grunt as he finally tore the wooden board apart, there's a hole - it's small but he can squeeze through, he makes for it, but Master rushed to the side, blocking his way with his bulk.  
“Boy, get back in the pen, if you know what’s good for you!” He growls, baring his teeth.  
“I won’t.” Glowers Levi, knowing full well that he could easily knock down and overpower his Master. He steeled himself for it.  
“You want to get yourself executed for disobeying orders?!” Hissed Tommon, and Levi threw his head back, letting out a laugh unsettlingly bitter for a child.  
“I don’t care!” He exclaimed, after his fit died down, he grinned wildly at his Master, “I hate you! I really do, Master. Fuck you!” He laughed again, “fuck you so hard! hahaha! Catch and kill me if you can - I won’t kill them, I won’t!”  
Master Tommon's face grew steadily more purple in the wake of Levi’s revolt. He lowered his voice into a threatening whisper, “Pipe down, if you know what’s good for you.”  
“Pipe down!” Levi’s voice rose to a shout, his high childlike tone shrill as it echoed through the theatre. “What more could you possibly do to me? String me up, I don’t care!” He staggered back little and threw his arms out, spinning in a circle as he regarded the people outside his cage. “Fuck you!” He shouted at them. “Fuck you all!” He ran at the gap Master Tommon was blocking, kicking out at his stomach viscously. Despite being a child, Levi harboured unnatural strength. A line of breeding amongst only the toughest wariest rendered even low-bred fighters stronger than any master could dream of. Funny how oppression of a people had made them so much stronger, so much better than those that sought to oppress them. Levi was part of a master race! Even slaves in the cookery were more resilient. They had to evolve or die! Evolve to endure hardship and torture! Levi wanted to kill the masters. Kill all of them! Kill them for what they had done to him, what they had done to his mother, what they did to slaves every day! Mr Tommon screamed, his voice so high pitched it made Levi giggle. He fell backwards onto his rump, beginning to cough up blood and Levi scrambled out the gap, there were screams from the audience, as people scrambled up the raised seating towards the exit. One child with green eyes and wealthy clothes stared at him from the other side of the room, unmoving. 

“Absolutely incredible man!” An overly exited Lord patted his Client on the shoulder. “What did you do to make them so formidable eh? You sly dog!” His client chuckled,  
“just the usual vigorous training till they either drop or prosper, nothing special.” He mused and the Lord let out a short burst of laughter,   
“Keep your secrets then sir. Keep them, but at least now I know who to bet on now! You will make me a rich man.” He patted Levi’s Client once again, very fondly, and then left. His client’s lips quirked downwards for a moment so brief Levi nearly missed it, and then the minute expression was gone as he turned to regard Levi.  
“Now then, my dear.” He said, putting a long slender finger beneath levi’s chin to raise it. “About that drink…?”  
“Lead the way.” Levi smiled as his Client offered his arm, and he took it, allowing himself to be ushered through the crowd. A servant stood in front of the door that lead out of the grand entrance hall. Erwin addressed him;   
“Lord Tarnen to his private room.”  
“I’ll take you there sir.” The servant bowed and turned, and they followed him.

The room was stuffy with heat, everything was covered in thick red curtains. Only a slither of white stone wall peeped out from behind the drapes by the door. In the centre of the room was a small round table with two padded stools, there was a large chaise lounge, also red, and then a four poster bed in the corner. Levi eyed the bed suspiciously for a moment, but the Client ushered him to one of the stools to sit and then turned to the servant behind them.  
"Fetch us some boiling water for the tea, and then that will be all thank you." The servant nodded and left the room. Levi sat himself and fixed a glare on his face. The Client hummed appreciatively. “I truly am pleased with how well that dress suits you. You’re a work of art, Levi.” He spoke, using Levi’s name for the first time that night as he made himself comfortable on his own stool.  
“Cut the bullshit now please.” The man froze, before reaching over to his tea cup, a new smile spreading his features, this one without reservation.  
“And what bullshit might that be?” He fingered the rim of the empty cup.  
“Why did you bring me here tonight? I doubt it was for the pleasure of my company. You made me watch a melee, tell me is my background public knowledge?” The patron chuckled.  
“I am merely a resourceful man, intrigued by the most sought after whore in the south.”  
“Why did you show me a melee?”  
“I told you already. I wanted to show you what I am capable of. What I have achieved.” Who you are dealing with, Levi heard it now, beneath the words he really used. To make you fear me.  
“And what is that.” Levi couldn’t keep the impatience out of his tone.  
"Annie and Reiner, they’re special.” His client mused.  
“Who?”   
“Annie and Reiner, my slaves. The winners.” Levi kept quiet, waiting for him to explain further.  
“We’ve met before, you know.” said his Client slowly.  
“I figured as much.” Levi was bored, and wanted the patron to stop dancing around the subject and get to his point. “You did request me. Before seeing you I thought you might be one of my regulars, but you’re familiar, though not too familiar. I don't think we've had sex." Levi shifted himself slightly. "Are you going to reveal yourself? I find it quite boring, just incase you think you're making yourself exiting and mysterious.”  
His client reached for his mask, untying the shroud at the back which covered his hair, and then pulling it free. He had brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes. He looked very familiar, but Levi was still confused as to how. Levi could see he was very handsome, his teeth perfect and straight and white. A long intelligent face, defined by thick eyebrows, a strong nose and prominent cheek bones.  
“We met last night actually.” He looked almost gleeful at Levi’s confused expression, before he waved his free hand in a flourish, and his hair began to shift colour. Lightening to a butter blond, his eyes shifting to a pale blue. Levi chocked on his spit, his eyes bulging. “The people here tonight know me as Lord Tarnen, a wealthy traveller from another provence with a promising career in slave breeding. You know me as Master Erwin.” His smile turned calculating as he shifted his teacup back onto the round table, and leaned forward, templing his hands on his lap as he eyed Levi.  
"You're dead." Exhaled Levi quietly. Erwin shook his head. .  
“Now Levi,” he said, “tell me where Eren is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just realised how dramatic my writing style is. too much?  
> . also yes tarnen is german for disguise. no subtlety here.  
> . Levi's past :3 i like it, but if you don't i'll stop giving it.


	15. Home again

Levi entered his room, his hands bunched up in the front of his skirts, raising them so he wouldn't trip as he walked. He entered the room feeling exhausted and perhaps a little dizzy, and when he saw a tentative pair of green eyes peer at him from a gap in the door to his balcony- he never thought he could feel such relief.  
"Levi?! Is that you?" Levi grunted as he wandered over to his dresser, pulled back the chair in front and plopped down in front of it, the air around him rushing as his skirts released it.  
"Yeah, it's me kid." Levi squinted down at the decanter of whiskey and wondered if he could get away with having another drink. He figured that he shouldn't, as he felt awful, but reached out for a crystal tumbler anyway. Eren slipped into the room, shutting the door carefully behind him, before advancing towards Levi cautiously.  
"Y-you look..." He began to say, Levi paused as he was just about to pour himself a finger and turned to glare up at the boy.  
"Gorgeous, I assume?" He interrupted, before the could be insulted and the boy's cheeks turned pink instantaneously. Eren frowned and looked away at the floor,  
"N-no I wasn't going to say that!" He exclaimed. Levi chuckled, and resumed pouring his whiskey.  
"Alright, kid." He said, lowering the decanter and raising the glass to his lips. He sipped while he undid a clasp holding his front skirt beneath his corset. When he got no indignant response of 'I'm not a kid!' He glanced worriedly back up at the boy. Eren was staring blankly at him, his lips slightly ajar. Beautiful lips, Levi shuddered a little.  
"The fuck are you staring at, brat." Eren startled and blinked, eyes refocusing.  
"Nothing." He mumbled, fidgeting with the end of his shirt. Levi stared at the boys long fingers and realised how dizzy he felt. He furrowed his brow and closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths to calm himself but could not. Instead he stood abruptly - his chair scraping loudly against the wooden floorboards and making Eren yelp out in surprise. His front skirt fell down, revealing his legs, but he ignored it and advanced to Eren so quickly, he was chest to chest with the boy before the wind could settle - the speed of his movement making Eren's hair flutter. The whole line of himself was pressed against Eren, and he looked up into those beautiful surprised eyes before he leaning in towards the boys neck. Sweat droplets beaded on Eren's skin. Levi let his lips nearly touch his neck - he was only a hair's breath away. They were both breathing rapidly.  
"Eren." He said, and he noticed him startle, but make no move to shift away.  
"What is it Levi?" Eren said, and then swallowed audibly as Levi seized him by the hair and slowly tugged his head to the side, to expose his neck further, running his hands over the damp skin. He heard Eren whimper, and paused. Should he tell him everything?  
"I'm sorry. I'm a little dizzy." He eyed Eren's skin, wanting to lick it. "And a little drunk, please stop me." Levi released his hair, and put his hands to the boy's chest, "Stop me." Eren gaped at him. He then realised he was gaping and closed his mouth. Levi growled. "Now." He leaned in and kissed Eren softly on the lips, his heart racing in his ears and his head spinning. He breathed, then softly kissed the corner of his mouth again, arms wrapping around him. "Stop me." He whispered, feeling arousal coiling in his groin. He searched Eren's eyes desperately wanting to know if this was alright. Eren raised his arms and held Levi's shoulders. His lips parted to say something so Levi kissed him again, open mouthed and a little wet. He felt the hands on his shoulders shaking as they gripped him harder. Levi moaned, dizziness blurring his vision. And then he was pushed away. Levi stared unsteadily at Eren, whose face was bright red. They both were trembling. Eren glanced down at Levi's attire.  
Levi was all lace. Lace draped off his arms, lace stockings wound up his legs with black silk bows at the top of his thighs, held up by a garter belt round his waist. Flowing skirts tumbled out behind him and he wore a small black pair of underwear, with an almost comical large pink bow over his genitals. It didn't hide his erection. Eren licked his lips nervously and Levi regretted dropping the front of his dress. His corset cut into him, and Levi suddenly wondered if that was part of the reason he felt so giddy.  
It would be pointless to now try to deny his attraction to Eren, as much as it disturbed him.  
"I'll take that as a no then." Eren looked confused, so Levi offered a small smile. "All men are slaves to their lust." He muttered.  
"I don't know," mumbled Eren, "what to do." He blushed again and opened his mouth to say something more when a knock drew their attention. Levi straightened his posture, rushing to his wardrobe to pull off the rest of his skirts. "Some help?" He called over to Eren, who rushed over, fumbling with the strings of his corset, and helping him out of his skirts. He ignored Eren's stammering and finished undressing. Levi opted to leave his stockings on and quickly pulled a red velvet robe on. Then he sauntered to the centre of the room and waited, his hip cocked to the side. Eren quickly excused himself to the balcony.

Levi stood to attention as he heard a soft knock once again - which told him his client was coming in now. A women with dark long curls that fell past her waist entered the room. He recognised her instantly.  
Levi smirked, "You don't sleep, do you Mistress Heller. Back again? You'll cause a scandal." He mused and the women smiled coyly in response.  
"Let the people say what they will. I found you rather...entertaining during my last visit, and couldn't help but return for a second helping." Levi let the shoulder of his robe fall slightly to reveal the milky skin of his shoulders -and noted her gaze flicker breifly to the skin bared there before it was locked back onto Levi's face.  
"Oh?" Levi quirked a brow. Wondering if she was here because he had been recognised. "You must have paid a great deal at the front to be allowed a man. Twice." Heller flashed her teeth.  
"I hope you can make ally my terrible troubles worthwhile." She said, and sauntered forward to stand just inches apart from Levi- placing her hand under his chin to tilt it up so that he was staring into her eyes. They were a rich reddy-brown colour that glinted with hidden amusement and a hint of danger.  
"I hope so too."  
Levi sunk his fingers into the woman and watched her writhe, he kissed her and held her and she felt so soft - so warm.  
It was the feel of her skin that made him hard, and he struggled to ignore his lower half as it ached with want.  
She had come back to him, when it would have been far easier and less-costly to have a girl do these things and not have to deal with the potential scandals this fraternisation could illicit. She was clearly attracted to women too so, what did it mean? What was it that Levi could do for that the women-  
She caught him by surprise when she suddenly turned around, and draped her outer leg over his hips, shifting herself closer to him. Levi swallowed audibly as she moved.  
She pressed herself against his cock and his face flushed red. What was she thinking? His limbs felt full of static energy. Her dark eyes were hooded as she looked at him, desire blowing her pupils so that the whole iris was nearly consumed.  
"Are you ready to make my night worthwhile, little slave boy?" She rolled her hips forward and the the friction made Levi stutter his next response,  
"haah w-we c-cannot have breedsex - ah- again - I'll be kill-mmph" his sentence was cut off by her lips.  
Levi pulled his head away "What we've already-" She rolled her hips again "d-done ah - god, - is unorthodox and I- oh shit."  
A wicked grin split her face as Levi gave in to his inhibitions and rolled on top of her, pulling her other leg around him - his grip hard on her thigh. Her hand found the base of his cock and guided him in, surrounding him with a pleasure that made him hiss and close his eyes, his face red and mind a confused whirlwind made foggy by lust.  
He was always useless against his lust.  
She growled and Levi thrusted shuddering as he was enveloped by heat.

After she left Levi lay on his bed for awhile, staring at the canopy above him - his skin still tingling. It had to be almost noon by now, and he hadn't slept yet. Remembering having kissed Eren, he threw a pillow angrily at the door, which rattled it, and Levi heard a faint yelp of fright from outside.  
Eren. He'd almost forgotten again.  
"You can come in now." He called to the boy and sat up and got off the bed, reaching over to the floor where his robe was discarded and  
pulling it on quickly to cover his filth and nakedness.  
The boy entered hesitantly, tossing his head from side to side to take in who was in the room. Spotting Levi sitting gingerly on the end of the bed as he wrapped the tie around his waist he scuttled over to him.  
Levi ignored the large green pair of eyes staring at him in silence for as long as he could bear, before he snapped.  
"What is it brat." The alcohol had worn off somewhat with the...exercise he'd been doing, and now he just had a headache again.  
"How are you."  
"Sore and tired. What the fuck do you think."  
Eren seemed disappointed. "Oh." He mumbled, and Levi rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time around the kid.  
Eren fidgeted with the linen shirt Levi had lent him and Levi glared at his hands, before the kid took a big breath and perked up again.  
"Do you need anything?" He asked.  
"Some silence, I think." Levi said curtly, and Eren snapped his jaw shut with a click of his teeth.  
Levi knew he was not a good socializer. Eren looked very uncomfortable, and that was not his intent. He just wasn't used to dealing with people after a long night of fucking when he didn't want to. Well, mostly when he didn't want to; however Mistress Heller had been a stupid decision and regret was already leaving a bitter metallic taste in his mouth.  
Levi sighed.  
"Sorry, i'm tired." He said,  
"You mentioned." Sulked Eren, and Levi contemplated him for a moment before standing slowly and regarding his messy sheets.  
He cleared the bed, dumping the sheets in the corner and then delved into the blanket box at the foot of his bed for a nice red-duvet cover which he filled and placed neatly on the bed over some lovely fresh sheets. He then wiped himself down outside, soaking in the cold water of the tub til his fingers began to prune.  
When he re-entered his bedroom, Eren was curled up in a ball on top of the duvet, his angelic face marred by a small crease between his brows as he frowned slightly in his sleep.  
Wait, did Levi just think of Eren as angelic? Ugh god. No. Ugh. He marched over to his second closet and pulled out another night shirt, dumping his robes on top of the dirty sheets for the maid to retrieve later, before he went back over to the bed and regarded Eren once more.  
He decided to wake the boy up. He'd get a cold if he slept over the covers, and Levi didn't have the patience to nurse him back to health.  
He crawled onto the bed and nudged Eren's cheek with his hand, recoiling quickly in shock as soon as he made contact. Levi stared down at his hand. His cheek was so soft. His heart rate thumped in his ears. It had only been two nights since he'd held him, but Levi could no longer remember how Eren's naked skin had felt beneath his hands. He remembered that it was smooth, and warm, but he couldn't quite remember exactly how it felt.  
He found himself not wanting to forget and his chest constricted oddly. His hand stopped just inches from the boy's cheek again before he'd even known he'd moved. Levi shook himself, not understanding his own behaviour. Mistress Heller had been warm too, and he'd held her against his own better judgement. And he'd recently taken Eren in against his own safety.  
Was he trying to get himself killed? Was he doing reckless things on purpose because he no longer wanted to live this life? He was probably punishing himself. Levi gazed down at the sleeping boy on his bed and took a moment to calm himself down, feeling rather ridiculous before he reached down and shook Eren's shoulder's to wake him. Eren groaned and blinked, stretching out his long legs and glaring groggily up at Levi.  
"Get under the blankets, Kid."  
"Nnot a kid." Mumbled Eren sleepily as he crawled obediently up the bed, and lifted the blankets, shimmying himself under them and closing his eyes as he lay back down.  
Levi huffed and crawled under the blankets beside him.  
A moment passed.  
"Good night Eren." Said Levi. Eren didn't respond, but sighed softly in his sleep.  
Levi smiled.


	16. Break up

It had been Nine nights since Levi had taken Eren in. Nine nights of successfully hiding him, keeping him secret and safe, and eight nights of sleeping as far away as possible from each other in the expanse of Levi's four poster bed.  
Levi felt like he was going crazy. He had no space to himself any more, and because of his harsh personality he was still constantly tiptoeing around the boy. Since the hectic first two nights of Clients, things had settled and become far more routine. They hadn't talked about the kiss, Levi saw five or more clients in the evening, (very few compared to other sex slaves), and Eren hid out on the balcony. The boy had discovered a ledge that sat him behind some vines, safely concealing him from all prying eyes, and safeguarding himself against any wandering customers. Since Levi actually had the night off tonight, he was headed to the bar. It was very uncommon for the slaves to have a night off, but Levi was uncommon, and he brought in far more than any of the other whores. This gave him certain leniencies. Armin had come around to visit and Levi had seized the opportunity to put the brat in his care for the evening. Armin came to visit regularly now, still in his wooden chair, the bitter attitude he wielded seemed to have faded somewhat. He brought books sometimes, which the brat poured over even though he could barely read. Armin was struggling to teach him to read and write.  
At some point Mikasa and the boy had become closely acquainted too, and Levi had caught the brat exchanging notes with her under the door. (Erin's notes were crudely scrawled, and he often opted to draw pictures instead of write actual words).  
Anyway, it was late afternoon and Levi had the night off. He wasted no time in heading straight to the bar which sat itself just tucked in an alley beside the brothel. As he sat at the dingy bar downing a scotch Levi halfheartedly judged his younger self for jumping at the chance to work in a sex house. But only halfheartedly because this life was so much better than the one he'd lived before. He scratched idly at the barcode on his wrist.He definitely had a soft spot for Eren now. He hated himself for it. Genuinely. Armin was sensible, good company, and his visits helped distract him from the guilty voices screaming in his head. So did scotch, whiskey and champagne. He had to admit that the blossoming friendship between those two brats made him a little jealous. But he'd never been a friendship kind of man. Speaking of, Hanji had been very annoying lately. He wondered why she hadn't told Armin that there was a real chance he could heal. Perhaps she didn't want to give him false hope? Anyway, he was rambling to himself and his mind wandered to what had happened Erwin at the party.

"I want you to think very carefully about your position before you give your answer, Levi." Erwin said, regarding Levi with a sincere concern that made Levi's stomach twist into angry knots.  
"I'm sitting on a stool, in a ball gown, opposite you." Said Levi dryly. He saw a vein twitch in Erwin's temple, and felt a vague kind of satisfaction at having drawn frustration from the man.  
"Tell me where Eren is."  
"So sorry, I don't know." They locked eyes.  
"So sorry, I don't believe you." Levi was actually afraid. "Believe me Levi, you do not want to lie to me." There was that awful smile again.

Levi gulped down his glass and gestured to the bartender for another.

Several hours later he wandered home, uncoordinated and intoxicated as he snuck through the kitchens, but feeling generally better overall. He nodded at Mikasa when he saw her at his door and she gave a slight nod in response, standing aside to let him in. He entered quietly and was loosening the buttons on his shirt when the sight in his room stopped him in his tracks. Armin and Eren were entangled on his bed, Eren laying over him, kissing him, clearly not having noticed that Levi was there yet. He couldn't think, his vision went white with rage.  
"What the fuck is going on!" Levi yelled, making the two figures yell out in fright. Eren recoiled from Armin, raising his arms defensively. It wasn't a question he wanted them to answer as he raged forward, grabbing Eren by the ankles and dragging him off the bed. He turned to Armin who was lying in shock on his back, his eyes wide. Levi gritted his teeth, hate boiling in his gut.  
"Get out." He growled.  
"Levi, don't-" Eren started towards him, grabbing his arm.  
"I said get out!" Armin stared for a moment but then nodded, looking over to Eren,  
"Help me up Eren." Armin said quietly.  
"No, you don't have to-"  
"It's okay. I'm gonna go now. Just help me up." Eren hovered nervously for a moment before lurching forward and helping Armin off the bed, lifting him into his chair. Levi breathed heavily through his nose and and paced as Armin was wheeled away. Eren slammed the door shut loudly and Levi sensed him staring furiously at him, though he couldn't bring himself to look at the boy.   
"What the hell Levi?!" Eren started -   
"Shut up, kid!" Levi turned on him, fury overpowering his shame. "I don't need you two making my bed filthy, it's disgusting and disrespectful to do that in my room! Especially after all i've done for you, you selfish brat! I took you in, I risked my life! And you just - you just..." Levi trailed off, unable to properly explain exactly what Eren had done wrong. He was beginning to feel numbness in his limbs, his body shaking. Why were his emotions so overpowering around this brat? He hated it. He hated himself. He hated Eren.  
"It was just a kiss!" Yelled Eren back, his voice cracking. Levi felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. He recoiled and backed away, storming off towards the balcony.  
"Oh fine, you run away then, coward!" Eren screamed after him. Levi gritted his teeth, his eyes stinging. "You're bitter and mean, and nobody will ever love you!" Eren yelled, his voice strained and emotional. Levi stopped. 'Love?' He wondered, his thoughts rushing.  
"You're probably right." He said quietly, and then he opened the door to the balcony and went outside, leaving Eren alone his his room.  


**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, be gentile. also fuck i've never written smut before so fuck fuck ok.  
> also haha the title, i don't know .


End file.
